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US 8,526,105 B2Granted
Structural illumination and evanescent coupling for the extension of imaging interfermetric microscopy
AssigneeStc.Unm
InventorsSteven R. J. Brueck, Yuliya Kuznetsova, Alexander Neumann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In accordance with the invention, there are imaging interferometric microscopes and methods for imaging interferometric microscopy using structural illumination and evanescent coupling for the extension of imaging interferometric microscopy. Furthermore, there are coherent anti-Stokes Raman (CARS) microscopes and methods for coherent anti-Stokes Raman (CARS) microscopy, wherein imaging interferometric microscopy techniques are applied to get material dependent spectroscopic information.
Claims29
An apparatus for coherent anti-Stokes Raman (CARS) microscopy comprising:
- an object plane on which is disposed a first surface of a planar substrate, wherein the substrate is characterized by a homogeneous refractive index and a surface normal, wherein the substrate is arranged to support an object;
- a first optical system disposed to provide an illumination of the object plane, the illumination characterized by two substantially coincident coherent beams with wavelengths λ1 and λ2 and corresponding angular frequencies ω1 and ω2 with ω1>ω2, a radius of curvature, and disposed at one of a plurality of incident wave vectors from about 0 to about 2πnsub/λ1 with respect to the surface normal of the substrate and at a plurality of azimuth angles spanning about 0 to about 2π;
- a second optical system having an optical axis disposed at one of a plurality of center wave vectors from about 0 to about 2πnsub/λ1 with respect to the surface normal of the substrate, wherein the second optical system is characterized by a numerical aperture and is responsive to optical signals at frequencies greater than ω1;
- a third optical system disposed between the first optical system and an entrance aperture of a first optical element of the second optical system to provide interferometric reintroduction of the illumination as a reference beam at an angular frequency of 2ω1−ω2 into the second optical system, wherein each of an amplitude, a phase, a radius of curvature and an angle of incidence of the reference beam is arranged to be adjusted such that a corrected reference wave is present at an image plane of the second optical system;
- an electronic image device disposed at the image plane of the second optical system and operable to respond linearly to a local optical intensity and transfer a local optical intensity map across the image plane as a sub-image to a signal processor device in electronic form;
- one or more devices operable to adjust the first, the second, and the third optical systems to collect sub-images for different pairs of the pluralities of incident illumination wave vectors from the first optical system and collection angles from the second optical system so as to sequentially obtain a plurality of sub-images corresponding to a plurality of regions of spatial frequency space,
- wherein the signal processor device is operable to sequentially receive the electronic form of the sub-images and manipulate the sub-images to correct for distortions and alterations introduced by the optical configuration, store, and combine the plurality of sub-images corresponding to the plurality of regions of spatial frequency space to create a composite image.
4 more elements
A method for coherent anti-Stokes Raman (CARS) microscopy comprising:
- providing an object atop an object plane disposed upon a planar substrate, wherein the substrate is characterized by a homogeneous refractive index (nsub) and a surface normal;
- providing a first optical system disposed to provide an illumination of the object plane, the illumination characterized by two substantially coincident coherent beams with wavelengths λ1 and λ2 and corresponding angular frequencies ω1 and ω2 with ω1>ω2, a radius of curvature, and disposed at one of a plurality of incident wave vectors from about 0 to about 2πnsub/λ1 with respect to the surface normal of the substrate and at a plurality of azimuth angles spanning 0 to about 2π;
- providing a second optical system having an optical axis disposed at one of a plurality of center wave vectors from about 0 to about 2πnsub/λ1 with respect to the surface normal, wherein the second optical system is characterized by a numerical aperture and is responsive to optical signals at frequencies greater than ω1;
- providing a third optical system disposed between the first optical system and an entrance aperture of a first optical element of the second optical system to provide interferometric reintroduction of a reference illumination as a reference beam at a frequency of 2ω1−ω2, into the second optical system, wherein each of an amplitude, a phase, a radius of curvature and an angle of incidence of the reference is operable to be adjusted such that a corrected reference wave is present at an image plane of the second optical system;
- recording a sub-image of the object at an object plane using an electronic image device disposed at the image plane of the second optical system that responds linearly to a local optical intensity and transfers a local optical intensity map across the image plane as a sub-image to a signal processor in electronic form, wherein the sub-image is formed as a result of interference between the scattering resulting from the coherent illumination of the object and the reference beam;
- providing one or more devices operable to adjust the first, the second, and the third optical systems to sequentially collect sub-images for different pairs of the pluralities of illumination wave vectors from the first optical system and collection angles from the second optical system so as to sequentially obtain a plurality of sub-images corresponding to a plurality of regions of spatial frequency space;
- providing a signal processor device operable to sequentially receive the electronic form of the sub-images and manipulate the sub-images to correct for distortions and alterations introduced by the optical configuration, to store and combine the plurality of sub-images corresponding to the plurality of regions of spatial frequency space into a composite image.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.