Infrared imaging in liquid through an extrinsic optical microcavity

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Biomedical Imaging
• Materials Science

Background:

• Extrinsic Fabry-Perot microcavities are sensitive to internal light dynamics.
• Low-coherence light sources are crucial for advanced optical techniques.
• Liquid environments pose challenges for traditional high-resolution imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel infrared imaging method using light interference in a microcavity.
• To achieve sub-diffraction imaging in liquid environments.
• To enable non-invasive, quantitative optical analysis for biological samples.

Main Methods:

• Exploiting mutual interference of scattered light within an extrinsic Fabry-Perot microcavity.
• Utilizing a low-coherence light source.
• Analyzing cavity response in the time domain for reflectivity and contrast phase mapping.
• Implementing a lens-free system.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated successful infrared imaging in a liquid environment.
• Achieved shaping of transverse field distribution via scattered interfering waves.
• Extracted reflectivity and contrast phase maps.
• Showcased potential for quantitative evaluation of dielectric constants and infrared spectroscopy.

Conclusions:

• The developed technique offers non-invasivity and sub-diffraction imaging capabilities.
• The method is highly suitable for biological applications due to its versatility.
• This approach provides a new tool for optical analysis in liquid media.