Ångström-accurate and precise localization microscopy

Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) enables super-resolution imaging by localizing individual emitters beyond the diffraction limit. Although recent advances have achieved sub-nanometer localization precision, localization accuracy remains fundamentally limited by systematic errors arising from point spread function (PSF) mismatch and other experimental imperfections. While prior studies have modeled individual error sources, an integrated framework that continuously benchmarks and calibrates the entire microscopy system to achieve high accuracy is still lacking. Here, we present an end-to-end physical–digital twin framework for SMLM that calibrates the full imaging system. Specifically, the digital twin integrates dipole radiation model, apparatus benchmarking, and marker-less drift correction based on a Kalman filter. Using silicon-vacancy (SiV) centers in diamond as well-defined emitters, we demonstrate lattice-scale localization accuracy with sub-ångström precision. By tightly coupling physics-based modeling with experimental feedback, this framework bridges the gap between idealized PSF models and real-world microscopy systems, enabling applications ranging from quantum emitter identification to molecular dynamics imaging.