Figure 1.

(a) RICM image (top) and bright-field image (bottom) of a cell. The different gray levels in the adhesion topology image correlate with the amount of distance between the cell membrane and the glass interface (dark area = close contact area). In addition, small cell filopodia that are invisible in bright-field images can be visualized with RICM. Scale bar: 10 μm. (b) Scheme of RICM image formation at the cell surface interface. I₁ and I₂ are the intensities of the light reflected on the glass–buffer and the buffer–cell interface. The interference between these rays is measured.