ABSTRACT
The purpose of every microscope is to make visible the invisible; to magnify, measure, and better describe complex samples in minute detail. Put another way, every microscope constructs an image of a sample that allows its spatial distribution to be more clearly perceived. But any image is only as good as its fidelity, or the extent to which it provides an accurate picture. Even using the best techniques and instruments, any microscopist struggles against a range of issues that limit image fidelity on a daily basis. Particularly common complaints include low signal-to-noise ratios, incomplete or unspecific labeling of the sample, probe degradation, and sample motion (drift). Such problems can severely limit the imaging but none of those described are limiting in a fundamental sense; all are surmountable (though often not readily).
