In this paper, we discuss what is, what is not, and what is only sort of superresolution microscopy. We begin by considering optical resolution, first in terms of diffraction theory, then in terms of linear-systems theory, and finally in terms of techniques that use prior information, nonlinearity, and other tricks to improve resolution. This discussion reveals two classes of superresolution microscopy, “pseudo” and “true.” The former improves images up to the diffraction limit, whereas the latter allows for substantial improvements beyond the diffraction limit. The two classes are distinguished by their scaling of resolution with photon counts. Understanding the limits to imaging resolution involves concepts that pertain to almost any measurement problem, implying a framework with applications beyond optics.
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