Which type of microscope uses electrons for high magnification and resolution?

The type of microscope that uses electrons for high magnification and resolution is the electron microscope. This microscope operates on the principle of electron beams instead of visible light to illuminate and magnify the specimen, allowing scientists to visualize structures at a much higher resolution than optical methods.

Electron microscopes can achieve magnifications of over a million times, revealing features at the nanometer scale. This capability makes them essential for biological research, particularly in studying the ultrastructure of cells and viruses, where fine details are crucial for understanding function and pathology.

In contrast, optical microscopes use visible light to magnify samples, which limits their resolution due to the wavelength of light. Fluorescence microscopes, while they provide enhanced imaging of specific components within a specimen using fluorescent markers, rely on light and thus do not reach the high resolution of electron microscopes. Confocal microscopes improve upon traditional microscopy by using laser light to produce sharp images but still rely on light rather than electrons for imaging, leading to limitations in resolution compared to electron microscopes.