Observation nanoscale organization of cells is critical to understanding cell function. Due to the presence of light diffraction phenomenon, the resolution of conventional fluorescence microscopy is around 250 nm. STORM is a type of super-resolution microscope that provides more than 10 times higher resolution compared to conventional optical microscopes.
The STORM technique uses an organic fluorescent molecule-to-dye that causes a small portion of the fluorescent molecules within the cell to glow first. Each halo can be approximated as a single fluorescent molecule because the distribution of luminescent spots is more spread out and overlaps less. In one excitation, the center of one part of the halo can be determined, and in the next excitation, the center of another part of the halo can be determined. The results of multiple excitations are superimposed to obtain a complete and clear image.