Focused Laser Light Research Articles

Remote excitation and remote detection of a single quantum dot using propagating surface plasmons on silver nanowire

Using propagating surface plasmons (SPs) on a silver nanowire (NW), we demonstrate that a focused laser light at the end of the silver NW can excite a single quantum dot (QD) microns away from the excitation spot. The QD—NW interaction allows the excited QD convert part of its energy into propagating SPs, which then can be detected at remote sites. Simultaneous multi-QD remote excitation and remote detection can also be realized. Furthermore, the tight confinement of the propagating SPs around the NW surface enables the selective excitation of QDs very close in space, which cannot be realized under the conventional excitation condition. This remote excitation and remote detection approach may find applications in optical imaging and the sensing of chemical and biological systems.

Focused cerebellar laser light induced hyperthermia improves symptoms and pathology of polyglutamine disease SCA1 in a mouse model.

Spinocerebellar ataxia 1 (SCA1) results from pathologic glutamine expansion in the ataxin-1 protein (ATXN1). This misfolded ATXN1 causes severe Purkinje cell (PC) loss and cerebellar ataxia in both humans and mice with the SCA1 disease. The molecular chaperone heat-shock proteins (HSPs) are known to modulate polyglutamine protein aggregation and are neuroprotective. Since HSPs are induced under stress, we explored the effects of focused laser light induced hyperthermia (HT) on HSP-mediated protection against ATXN1 toxicity. We first tested the effects of HT in a cell culture model and found that HT induced Hsp70 and increased its localization to nuclear inclusions in HeLa cells expressing GFP-ATXN1[82Q]. HT treatment decreased ATXN1 aggregation by making GFP-ATXN1[82Q] inclusions smaller and more numerous compared to non-treated cells. Further, we tested our HT approach in vivo using a transgenic (Tg) mouse model of SCA1. We found that our laser method increased cerebellar temperature from 38 to 40°C without causing any neuronal damage or inflammatory response. Interestingly, mild cerebellar HT stimulated the production of Hsp70 to a significant level. Furthermore, multiple exposure of focused cerebellar laser light induced HT to heterozygous SCA1 transgenic (Tg) mice significantly suppressed the SCA1 phenotype as compared to sham-treated control animals. Moreover, in treated SCA1 Tg mice, the levels of PC calcium signaling/buffering protein calbindin-D28k markedly increased followed by a reduction in PC neurodegenerative morphology. Taken together, our data suggest that laser light induced HT is a novel non-invasive approach to treat SCA1 and maybe other polyglutamine disorders.

TCT measurements with slim edge strip detectors

Transient current technique (TCT) measurements with focused laser light on miniature silicon strip detectors (n+-type strips on p-type bulk) with one inactive edge thinned to about 100µm using the Scribe-Cleave-Passivate (SCP) method are presented. Pulses of focused IR (λ=1064nm) laser light were directed to the surface of the detector and charge collection properties near the slim edge were investigated. Measurements before and after irradiation with reactor neutrons up to 1MeV equivalent fluence of 1.5×1015neq/cm2 showed that SCP thinning of detector edge does not influence its charge collection properties.TCT measurements were done also with focused red laser beam (λ=640nm) directed to the SCP processed side of the detector. The absorption length of red light in silicon is about 3µm so with this measurement information about the electric field at the edge can be obtained. Observations of laser induced signals indicate that the electric field distribution along the depth of the detector at the detector edge is different than in the detector bulk: electric field is higher near the strip side and lower at the back side. This is a consequence of negative surface charge caused by passivation of the cleaved edge with Al2O3. The difference between bulk and edge electric field distributions gets smaller after irradiation.

Convenient Method of Micrometer-Scale Excitation of Propagating Surface Plasmons by a Focused Laser Beam

Surface plasmons (SPs) excited on microscopic areas are desired in a variety of applications, including SP microscopy and (bio)sensing. We present an optical method of excitation of SPs using a dry, medium-magnification microscope objective and a diffraction grating. SPs are excited by focusing laser light into a diffraction-limited spot on the grating. We demonstrate that the excitation of SPs is manifested by dark arcs in the light cone reflected from the focus. The behavior of the arcs with respect to the spatial distribution of refractive index in the vicinity of the focal spot is explored.

Subwavelength focusing of laser light by microoptics

Near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) measurements revealed that a linearly polarized Gaussian beam of wavelength λ = 532 nm focused with a binary zone plate (ZP) of focal length λ, radius 7 μm, and groove depth 510 nm, fabricated in hydrogen silsesquioxane, produces a focal spot of size FWHM = (0.44 ± 0.02)λ, with the side lobes being lower than 10% of the intensity peak in the focus. Replacing the incident 532 nm wavelength with a 633 nm wavelength resulted in a 1.8 times shorter focal length and a tighter (in terms of wavelengths) focal spot of FWHM = (0.40 ± 0.02)λ. This value is smaller than the scalar diffraction-limited size in vacuum, FWHM = 0.51λ. This is the smallest focal spot so far experimentally obtained for a binary phase ZP and the root-mean-square deviation of the experimental curve from a FDTD simulation is 5%. We show that the metallic pyramid-shaped cantilever with a 100-nm-hole in the tip that is used in the NSOM is only able to detect the transverse electric field component. The FDTD simulation showed such a cantilever to be over 3 times more sensitive to the transverse electric field component than to the longitudinal one. Using the Richards–Wolf (RW) formulae, the near-focus intensity distribution can be calculated with 6% error for focal lengths larger than 4λ. It is usually assumed that the Debye theory and the RW formulae are only valid for focal lengths much larger than the incident wavelength. By FDTD simulation, we showed that when illuminating the ZP by a radially (rather than linearly) polarized beam, a decrease in the focal spot transverse size did not result in a substantially reduced total volume of focus (4%).

Characterization of GaAs-Based Three-Branch Nanowire Junction Devices by Light-Induced Local Conductance Modulation Method

Nonlinear voltage transfer characteristics in GaAs-based three-branch nanowire junction (TBJ) devices were investigated by a light-induced local conductance modulation method. In this measurement system, the conductance in the device was locally increased by focused laser light irradiation. The nonlinear transfer curve was greatly changed when the laser light was irradiated on the positively biased branch. The conductance domain was found to exist at the end of the positively biased branch of the TBJ by scanning the light position. When a SiNx thin layer was deposited on the nanowire surface, the surface potential was increased and the nonlinearity in the transfer curve was reinforced simultaneously. The obtained results suggest that the asymmetric channel depletion model is appropriate for the observed nonlinearity mechanism in the GaAs TBJ at room temperature.

Laser microdissection and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry coupled for multimodal imaging

Improvement in spatial resolution of atmospheric pressure molecular chemical imaging is required to resolve distinct surface features in the low micrometer and sub-micrometer scale. Laser capture microdissection systems have the capability to focus laser light to a few micrometers. This type of system, when employed for laser ablation (LA) mass spectrometry (MS)-based chemical imaging, has the potential to achieve high spatial resolution with multimodal optical and chemical imaging capability. A commercially available laser capture microdissection system was coupled to a modified ion source of a mass spectrometer. This design allowed for sampling of laser-ablated material via a transfer tube directly into the ionization region. Ionization of the ablated material was accomplished using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI). Rhodamine 6G dye of red permanent marker ink in a laser etched pattern as well as cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine in a cerebellum mouse brain thin tissue section were identified and imaged from the mass spectral data. Employing a spot diameter of 8 µm using the 10× microscope cutting objective and lateral oversampling resulted in a pixel size of about 3.7 µm in the same dimension. Distinguishing between features approximately 13 µm apart in a cerebellum mouse brain thin tissue section was demonstrated in a multimodal fashion co-registering optical and mass spectral images. A LA/APCI-MS system was developed that comprised a commercially available laser microdissection instrument for transmission geometry LA and a modestly modified ion source for secondary ionization of the ablated material. The set-up was successfully applied for multimodal imaging using the ability to co-register bright field, fluorescence and mass spectral chemical images on one platform.

Direct trabecular meshwork imaging in porcine eyes through multiphoton gonioscopy

.The development of technologies to characterize the ocular aqueous outflow system (AOS) is important for the understanding of the pathophysiology of glaucoma. Multiphoton microscopy (MPM) offers the advantage of high-resolution, label-free imaging with intrinsic image contrast because the emitted signals result from the specific biomolecular content of the tissue. Previous attempts to use MPM to image the murine irido-corneal region directly through the sclera have suffered from degradation in image resolution due to scattering of the focused laser light. As a result, transscleral MPM has limited ability to observe fine structures in the AOS. In this work, the porcine irido-corneal angle was successfully imaged through the transparent cornea using a gonioscopic lens to circumvent the highly scattering scleral tissue. The resulting high-resolution images allowed the detailed structures in the trabecular meshwork (TM) to be observed. Multimodal imaging by two-photon autofluorescence and second harmonic generation allowed visualization of different features in the TM without labels and without disruption of the TM or surrounding tissues. MPM gonioscopy is a promising noninvasive imaging tool for high-resolution studies of the AOS, and research continues to explore the potential for future clinical applications in humans.

Optical tweezers: a light touch

Optical tweezers use focused laser light to manipulate microscopic particles. We discuss the underlying physics of the technique in terms of a gradient force exerted by the light on the particles. The versatility of optical tweezers is highlighted, in particular, we explain how spatial light modulators and various imaging methods have greatly enhanced their range of applications.

Fabrication and strength analysis of humanoid focusing mechanism

The human eye was constructed from the soft lens and the ciliary muscle. The ciliary muscle induces force on the lens through an array of fibrillar structure that surrounds the lens. In this paper, the humanoid focusing mechanism which consists of parylene nanofibers and soft polymer lens was presented and demonstrated. The soft polymer lens was constructed of a PDMS envelope and a silicone core. The parylene nanofrillar film was fabricated by anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template and used to adhere to the lens and to transfer the accommodation force. For verifying the function of the fibrillar structure around the lens, an experiment stage was set up to test the normal and shear strength and to compare two bonding conditions: fibrillar bonding and plate bonding. Besides, the relation between the focal length and applied force was estimated by the lens contour measurement and the laser light focusing measurement.

Laser heating versus phonon confinement effect in the Raman spectra of diamond nanoparticles

Nanodiamond particles with typical diameters of 20 and 6 nm produced by high pressure high temperature or detonation processes have been studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy. We show that the frequency downshift and broadening of the first-order diamond phonon band is not uniquely related to phonon confinement, as commonly assumed. Local heating caused by the focused laser light must be also taken in account, since it may affect the Raman spectrum in a similar fashion, even at relatively low laser power levels. A combined theoretical model considering both effects (quantum confinement and local heating) on the excited phonon modes is presented and adopted for the simulation of the experimental data. We observe different heating behaviours upon laser illumination depending on the particles origin, thus underscoring the importance to compensate for this effect before retrieving structural parameters.

A super-oscillatory lens optical microscope for subwavelength imaging

The past decade has seen an intensive effort to achieve optical imaging resolution beyond the diffraction limit. Apart from the Pendry-Veselago negative index superlens, implementation of which in optics faces challenges of losses and as yet unattainable fabrication finesse, other super-resolution approaches necessitate the lens either to be in the near proximity of the object or manufactured on it, or work only for a narrow class of samples, such as intensely luminescent or sparse objects. Here we report a new super-resolution microscope for optical imaging that beats the diffraction limit of conventional instruments and the recently demonstrated near-field optical superlens and hyperlens. This non-invasive subwavelength imaging paradigm uses a binary amplitude mask for direct focusing of laser light into a subwavelength spot in the post-evanescent field by precisely tailoring the interference of a large number of beams diffracted from a nanostructured mask. The new technology, which--in principle--has no physical limits on resolution, could be universally used for imaging at any wavelength and does not depend on the luminescence of the object, which can be tens of micrometres away from the mask. It has been implemented as a straightforward modification of a conventional microscope showing resolution better than λ/6.

Characteristics and geometry optimization of a hollow cone for guiding and focusing laser light

A highly focused beam with spot radius of around 1 μm and enhanced light intensity is obtained by using an open hollow cone. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations are performed for clarifying light propagation characteristics and the cone geometry dependence of the cone-focused laser light. Two important parameters characterizing the cone-focusing effect are introduced, which are opening angle and cone tip size. By changing these parameters, the laser intensification, field spatial distribution at the cone tip and the near-field transmission can be controlled. Understanding this is quite important in designing the optimum cone shape for fast ignition and determining the basis for using hollow cone targets as devices for generating high energy charged particles.

Laser Excitation of a Fracture Source for Elastic Waves

We show that elastic waves can be excited at a fracture inside a transparent sample by focusing laser light directly onto this fracture. The associated displacement field, measured by a laser interferometer, has pronounced waves that are diffracted at the fracture tips. We confirm that these are tip diffractions from direct excitation of the fracture by comparing them with tip diffractions from scattered elastic waves excited on the exterior of the sample. Being able to investigate fractures-in this case in an optically transparent material-via direct excitation opens the door to more detailed studies of fracture properties in general.

In Situmetal tip sharpening of scanning probe microscopes

This article demonstrated a new approach for fabrication and sharpening of metal tips of scanning probe microscopes. Experimentally, a metal tip was heated and melted by a focused laser light. The tip was then sharpened by a strong electric field and consolidated as the laser was turned off. With a low-vacuum and a high-voltage source, a 25-µm indium-coated platinum wire was sharpened to a tip with diameters below 50 nm. The minimal tip radius by this method is estimated to be below 1 nm. With this technique, in situ tip sharpening for SPM would be possible.

Phototransfection of mammalian cells using femtosecond laser pulses: optimization and applicability to stem cell differentiation

Recently, femtosecond laser pulses have been utilized for the targeted introduction of genetic matter into mammalian cells. This rapidly expanding and developing novel optical technique using a tightly focused laser light beam is called phototransfection. Extending previous studies [Stevenson et al., Opt. Express 14, 7125-7133 (2006)], we show that femtosecond lasers can be used to phototransfect a range of different cell lines, and specifically that this novel technology can also transfect mouse embryonic stem cell colonies with approximately 25% efficiency. Notably, we show the ability of differentiating these cells into the extraembryonic endoderm using phototransfection. Furthermore, we present two new findings aimed at optimizing the phototransfection method and improving applicability: first, the influence of the cell passage number on the transfection efficiency is explored and, second, the ability to enhance the transfection efficiency via whole culture treatments. Our results should encourage wider uptake of this methodology.

In situ wavefront correction and its application to micromanipulation

In any optical system, distortions to a propagating wavefront reduce the spatial coherence of a light field, making it increasingly difficult to obtain the theoretical diffraction-limited spot size. Such aberrations are severely detrimental to optimal performance in imaging, nanosurgery, nanofabrication and micromanipulation, as well as other techniques within modern microscopy. We present a generic method based on complex modulation for true in situ wavefront correction that allows compensation of all aberrations along the entire optical train. The power of the method is demonstrated for the field of micromanipulation, which is very sensitive to wavefront distortions. We present direct trapping with optimally focused laser light carrying power of a fraction of a milliwatt as well as the first trapping through highly turbid and diffusive media. This opens up new perspectives for optical micromanipulation in colloidal and biological physics and may be useful for various forms of advanced imaging.

A microtip self-written on a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser by photopolymerization

We present the integration of a self-aligned microtip on a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) by near infrared photopolymerization. This one-step fabrication process is triggered by the laser source itself. It is based on the use of photopolymers sensitive at the lasing wavelength and can be applied to VCSEL devices after their process fabrication. We have characterized the fabricated microtips and shown that they focus laser light at few micrometers from the device. The applications of this simple method may concern VCSEL beam shaping as well as the fabrication of microprobes for near-field optical microscopy.

Improved Resolution and Stability in a Dispersion Interferometer Using a Modulation Amplitude Ratio

On steady-state fusion reactors, reliable electron density measurement is required for fueling control. However, the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of conventional interferometers is affected by mechanical vibrations. In addition, fringe jump errors are possible at high densities. One possible approach to these problems is the use of a dispersion interferometer (DI) [1]. The DI is immune to mechanical vibrations, and hence does not need a vibration isolator. A two-color system is also not needed even if short-wavelength lasers (a CO2 laser and a YAG laser, for example) are used. The fringe jump errors are attributed to 2π ambiguity in the phase shift. If short-wavelength laser light with a phase shift smaller than 2π is selected, the interferometer becomes free from fringe jump errors in principle. However, the S/N is significantly degraded because the phase shift due to vibrations (∝ 1/λ, λ: wavelength) increases and that due to a plasma (∝ λ) decreases for conventional interferometers. In contrast, the DI has no issue even if the plasma term is smaller than 2π owing to its immunity to vibrations. Thus, the DI becomes free from fringe jump errors if an appropriate wavelength is selected. Techniques that improve the resolution of DIs are currently being introduced [2–5]. This paper reports improved resolution and long-time stability in a DI that adopts phase modulation [2] with a photoelastic modulator (PEM) and a new signal processing method that uses a modulation amplitude ratio [4, 5]. Figure 1 shows a schematic view of the present optical and electrical systems used for bench testing. The light source is a CO2 laser with an output power and wavelength of 8 W and 10.6 μm, respectively. The focused laser light is injected into a nonlinear crystal of AgGaSe2 to generate the frequency-doubled component (FD1). A mixed beam consisting of the fundamental and frequency-doubled components, whose polarizations are orthogonal, passes through a PEM with a drive frequency

Finite-difference time-domain analysis of refractive index grating on planar light waveguide circuit with optically trapped gold particles

The super-resolution capability of scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) with a gold particle is studied by the two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (2D FDTD) method. We obtain SNOM signals by integrating the far field within the numerical aperture of an objective lens for a refractive index grating by scanning optically trapped gold particles with different diameters illuminated by focused laser light at the wavelength of 515 nm. The signal is strong at a high refractive index of the grating and exhibits similar behavior to that obtained in the experiment with the grating fabricated on a planar light waveguide circuit with a period of 1060 nm. Furthermore, the signal modulation increases as the gold particle diameter decreases and reaches 0.82 at a diameter of 50 nm.