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Optically stabilized atomic force microscope
An artists conception of an optically stabilized atomic force microscope (AFM), an ideal tool for probing biomolecules in ambient conditions. The Perkins lab at JILA has joined AFM with optical trapping microscopy to produce an ultra-stable AFM capable of precisely studying proteins in real-world (ambient) conditions and increasing the stability of ordinary AFMs a hundredfold.
JILA is a joint institute of the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. You can read more about this joining of AFM with optical trapping microscopy Here. You can learn more about research at the Perkins lab Here. (Date of Image: March 2009)
Credit: Greg Kuebler, JILA
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