Super Resolution Pump-Probe Microscopy with point spread function engineering

Farzaneh Mohajerani, University of Texas at El Paso

Abstract

Since the last decade, new techniques have made optical microscopy break the diffraction barrier of resolution where all of them are based on molecular fluorescence. Among them, stimulated emission depletion microscopy (STED) has reached less than 25 nm resolution by engineering the point spread function. However, the existing obstacles associated with fluorescence tagging makes it desirable to achieve label-free imaging. Recently the pump-probe method has made it possible to obtain image contrast from molecular absorption and vibration signatures that do not depend on fluorescence. We introduce Super Resolution Pump-Probe Microscopy (SRPPM), in which we combine both PSF engineering method and pump-probe method to achieve the goal of imaging non-fluorescent molecules with nanometer resolution. Our calculations for SRPPM show that we are able to reach less than 30nm resolution with the intensity of pump and probe beams that will not exceed 10 MW/cm2 . This intensity is much lower than the high intensities of the Doughnut beam in STED microscopy and it is compatible with bio-imaging goals of this microscope.

Subject Area

Mechanical engineering|Optics

Recommended Citation

Mohajerani, Farzaneh, "Super Resolution Pump-Probe Microscopy with point spread function engineering" (2014). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI1564688.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI1564688

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