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Optics

Division 4

Division 4 which is responsible for optics is home to three base units: that of length, time and luminous intensity. On this basis, standards and measuring methods of highest accuracy are developed for various optical quantities.

 

Tasks

Division "Optics" supports industry, science and society by providing measurement services, research and development in the field of optical technology. Based on the SI units of length, time and luminous intensity different units are realized and disseminated. Further more, accurate standards and measurement techniques are developed.

The division realizes the time scale UTC (PTB), which is the legal time in the Federal Republic of Germany, performs precision measurements in different fields of optics and cooperates in international standardisation and certification.

News

Using DNA origami nanorulers as traceable distance measurement standards and nanoscopic benchmark structures

In recent years, DNA origami nanorulers for superresolution fluorescence microscopy have been developed from fundamental proof-of-principle experiments to commercially available test structures. The self-assembled nanostructures allow placing a defined number of fluorescent dye molecules in defined geometries in the nanometer range. Besides the unprecedented control over matter on the nanoscale, robust DNA origami nanorulers are reproducibly obtained in high yields. The distances between their fluorescent marks can be easily analysed yielding intermark distance histograms from many identical structures. Thus, DNA origami nanorulers have become excellent reference and training structures for superresolution microscopy. In this work, we go one step further and develop a calibration process for the measured distances between the fluorescent marks on DNA origami nanorulers. The superresolution technique DNA-PAINT is used to achieve...

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Differentiating gold nanorod samples using particle size and shape distributions from transmission electron microscope images

Size and shape distributions of gold nanorod samples are critical to their physico-chemical properties, especially their longitudinal surface plasmon resonance. This interlaboratory comparison study developed methods for measuring and evaluating size and shape distributions for gold nanorod samples using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. The objective was to determine whether two different samples, which had different performance attributes in their application, were different with respect to their size and/or shape descriptor distributions. Touching particles in the captured images were identified using a ruggedness shape descriptor. Nanorods could be distinguished from nanocubes using an elongational shape descriptor. A non-parametric statistical test showed that cumulative distributions of an elongational shape descriptor, that is, the aspect ratio, were statistically different between the two samples for all...

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Further InformationFurther Information

Metrology Initiative Braunschweig

                 

Centre for Quantum Engineering and Space- Time Research