High-precision measurement and analysis of colloidal monolayers.

This technical note describes an imaging algorithm for analyzing colloidal monolayers, including the measurement of particle-to-particle distances with nanometer-scale resolution and the automated detection of defects and edges, as well as determining the uniformity of the colloid size distribution. The algorithm also allows for the automatic detection and measurement of scaling introduced by nonsquare detector pixels, a common problem in imaging. As an application, we demonstrate the use of this method for spatially calibrating digital video microscopy systems that can be applied in situations where conventional methods may be inappropriate. Here, we provide an overview of the workings of the algorithm, which we have made freely available.