English

Quantitative phase imaging with molecular vibrational sensitivity

Optics 2019-09-04 v1

Abstract

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) quantifies the sample-specific optical-phase-delay enabling objective studies of optically-transparent specimens such as biological samples, but lacks chemical sensitivity limiting its application to morphology-based diagnosis. We present wide-field molecular-vibrational microscopy realized in the framework of QPI utilizing mid-infrared photothermal effect. Our technique provides mid-infrared spectroscopic performance comparable to that of a conventional infrared spectrometer in the molecular fingerprint region of 1,450 - 1,600 cm-1 and realizes wide-field molecular imaging of silica-polystyrene beads mixture over 100 {\mu}m x 100 {\mu}m area at 1 frame per second with the spatial resolution of 430 nm and 2 - 3 orders of magnitude lower fluence of ~10 pJ/{\mu}m2 compared to other high-speed label-free molecular imaging methods, reducing photodamages to the sample. With a high-energy mid-infrared pulse source, our technique could enable high-speed, label-free, simultaneous and in-situ acquisition of quantitative morphology and molecular-vibrational contrast, providing new insights for studies of optically-transparent complex dynamics.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1903.07384,
  title  = {Quantitative phase imaging with molecular vibrational sensitivity},
  author = {Miu Tamamitsu and Keiichiro Toda and Ryoichi Horisaki and Takuro Ideguchi},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1903.07384},
  year   = {2019}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-23T08:11:19.555Z