Fast photothermal spatial light modulation for quantitative phase imaging at the nanoscale

0551737 - ÚFE 2022 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Robert, Marc Louis Hadrien - Holanová, Kristýna - Bujak, Lukasz - Vala, Milan - Henrichs, Verena - Lánský, Zdeněk - Piliarik, Marek
Fast photothermal spatial light modulation for quantitative phase imaging at the nanoscale.
Nature Communications. Roč. 12, č. 1 (2021), č. článku 2921. E-ISSN 2041-1723
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT(CZ) LL1602; GA ČR GA18-19705S
Institutional support: RVO:67985882 ; RVO:86652036
Keywords : Imaging * Quantitative phase imaging * Light
OECD category: Optics (including laser optics and quantum optics); Biophysics (BTO-N)
Impact factor: 17.694, year: 2021
Method of publishing: Open access
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23252-3

Spatial light modulators have become an essential tool for advanced microscopy, enabling breakthroughs in 3D, phase, and super-resolution imaging. However, continuous spatial-light modulation that is capable of capturing sub-millisecond microscopic motion without diffraction artifacts and polarization dependence is challenging. Here we present a photothermal spatial light modulator (PT-SLM) enabling fast phase imaging for nanoscopic 3D reconstruction. The PT-SLM can generate a step-like wavefront change, free of diffraction artifacts, with a high transmittance and a modulation efficiency independent of light polarization. We achieve a phase-shift > π and a response time as short as 70 µs with a theoretical limit in the sub microsecond range. We used the PT-SLM to perform quantitative phase imaging of sub-diffractional species to decipher the 3D nanoscopic displacement of microtubules and study the trajectory of a diffusive microtubule-associated protein, providing insights into the mechanism of protein navigation through a complex microtubule network
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0326958