Which type of microscope uses beams of electrons to form an image?

The correct choice is the electron microscope, which utilizes beams of electrons to create highly detailed images of specimens. Unlike light microscopes that rely on visible light to illuminate samples and produce images, electron microscopes use electron beams and can achieve much greater resolving power due to the shorter wavelength of electrons compared to visible light. This allows for the visualization of much smaller structures, such as organelles within cells or the surface features of materials at the nanoscale.

In particular, there are two main types of electron microscopes: transmission electron microscopes (TEM), which provide insight into the internal structures of specimens, and scanning electron microscopes (SEM), which are used to examine surfaces in three dimensions. The advanced capabilities of electron microscopy make it indispensable in fields such as cell biology, materials science, and nanotechnology.