Nanoparticle measurement in the optical far-field

Nanoparticles are rapidly becoming ubiquitous in modern technology and so there is an emerging need to characterise single nanoparticles rapidly and accurately. In the current technological paradigm, non-optical techniques such as electron microscopy (EM) and atomic-force microscopy (AFM) are favored for this role. Nano-characterization using optical microscopy though has several advantages; it can measure through transparent media, it is less likely to damage samples, it is rapid, convenient and is compatible with a host of advanced microscopy techniques. Here, we present a new nano-characterization technique called Visible Interferometric Electromagnetic Wave Scattering (VIEWS) [1], capable of leveraging the advantages of optical microscopy. VIEWS overcomes optical resolution limits by calculating nanoparticle characteristics directly from the optical phase measured using interferometric microscopy [2], rather than relying on image formation.