Quantification of the Information Limit of Transmission Electron Microscopes

The resolving power of high-resolution transmission electron microscopes is characterized by the information limit, which reflects the size of the smallest object detail observable with a particular instrument. We introduce a highly accurate measurement method for the information limit, which is suitable for modern aberration-corrected electron microscopes. An experimental comparison with the traditionally applied Young's fringe method yields severe discrepancies and confirms theoretical considerations according to which the Young's fringe method does not reveal the information limit.