Scientists from ITMO University have used a silicon-gold nanoparticle agitated by a pulse laser in IR band as an effective source of white light. One such “nanobulb” was integrated into a standard probe microscope, which allowed the researchers to overcome the diffraction limit and examine subwavelength-size objects. The new technology makes modern near-field microscopy cheaper and simpler, and is potentially useful in medicine. The study has been published in Nano Letters.