Correct option is C
The correct answer is: (3) TIRF microscope.
Explanation:
The Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscope is specifically designed to detect single fluorescent molecules with high precision. It uses an evanescent wave that only illuminates a very thin region near the glass-water interface, minimizing background fluorescence and allowing the detection of individual molecules on the surface or very close to it. This makes it ideal for single-molecule detection studies.
Information Booster:
TIRF microscopy is highly sensitive, capable of detecting single molecules due to its selective excitation mechanism.
It uses an evanescent wave that decays exponentially, ensuring that only the molecules very close to the surface are excited.
This microscopy technique is widely used in studies involving single-molecule fluorescence, protein interactions, and live-cell imaging.
TIRF microscopy provides excellent signal-to-noise ratio, which is crucial for single-molecule detection.
It is particularly useful for observing surface-based processes, such as membrane dynamics or protein interactions at the membrane.
TIRF microscopy allows for real-time observation of single-molecule events in live cells, making it powerful for molecular biology and biophysics studies.
Additional Knowledge:
DIC microscope (option 1) is used for differential interference contrast imaging, useful for visualizing living cells and structures, but it is not specialized for single-molecule detection.
Epifluorescence microscope (option 2) uses fluorescence to image samples, but it typically detects a larger volume of fluorescence rather than single molecules.
Phase contrast microscope (option 4) is useful for visualizing live cells without the need for staining, but it is not designed for fluorescence detection, especially not at the single-molecule level.
