Super-resolution imaging techniques enable nanoscale microscopy in fields
such as physics, biology, and chemistry. However, many super-resolution
techniques require specialized optical components, such as a helical-phase
mask. We present a novel technique, Super-resolution Airy disk Microscopy (SAM)
that can be used in a standard confocal microscope without any specialized
optics. We demonstrate this technique, in combination with ground state
depletion, to image and control nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in bulk diamond
below the diffraction limit. A greater than 14-fold improvement in resolution
compared to the diffraction limit is achieved, corresponding to a spatial
resolution of 16.9(8) nm for a 1.3 NA microscope with 589 nm light. We make use
of our enhanced spatial resolution to control the spins states of individual NV
centers separated from each other by less than the diffraction limit, including
pairs sharing the same orientation that are indistinguishable with a
conventional electron spin resonance measurement.Comment: Main text: 6 pages, 4 figures, 31 references. Supplement: 14 pages,
10 figures, 15 references. Version 2 contains updated figures and modified
text to improve clarity and readabilit