Seeing the invisible: from organelles to atoms

In this seminar, I will explore how we harness expansion microscopy, a groundbreaking nanoscale imaging technique, to connect fundamental and medical research. By expanding the boundaries of traditional imaging, this approach opens up exciting new scientific perspectives and promises to transform our understanding of cellular processes.

We usually think of material properties at the macroscale: how do the superconductors in MRI scanners, or the piezoelectrics in shock detectors behave as a whole? However, at much smaller scales, novel and often surprising physical properties emerge, reflecting their quantum nature.To study these emergent properties we need sophisticated and versatile techniques with very high imaging resolution. One key tool is based on the quantum interaction between an ultrasharp tip and the sample, either via scanning tunnelling microscopy or scanning force microscopy, opening the door to a fascinating field of research, and a path, perhaps, to future devices.