Achievement

The invention of the laser has had a revolutionary effect on our ability to use light as a means of probing material properties. Recent advances and a wealth of new quantitative techniques have reinvigorated the field of optical microscopy. To explore these techniques, Prof. Itai Cohen (Physics) developed a short course in optical microscopy and light scattering. This module provided the background students need to use the light scattering and laser microscopy facilities available at Cornell and included hands-on laboratory experiments. In addition to basic techniques, he gave an overview of some of the important recent advances in these fields. The module included a discussion of new light microscopy techniques, such as STED, STORM, and PALM, that allow the imaging of nanoscale features of materials. The course closed with a case study based on colloidal glasses.