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Dual-wavelength pump-probe microscopy analysis of melanin composition
Andrew Thompson1, Francisco E Robles2, Jesse W Wilson2
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA.
Scientific Reports
|November 12, 2016
Summary
Pump-probe microscopy reveals melanin
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Optical Spectroscopy
- Materials Science
Background:
- Pump-probe microscopy offers sub-micrometer chemical insights into absorbers.
- Melanin's pump-probe signals in skin cancers correlate with clinical concern.
- Molecular origins of melanin's spectral differences remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Develop a mathematical framework for melanin's pump-probe dynamics.
- Investigate the interplay of chromophore bandwidths and wavelength proximity.
- Validate the model using dual-wavelength measurements and novel analysis.
Main Methods:
- Mathematical modeling of melanin as Gaussian absorbers with Frenkel exciton coupling.
- Dual-wavelength pump-probe spectroscopy on human pigmented tissue.
- Gnomonic projection analysis for signal processing.
Main Results:
- Melanin dynamics are described by a linear transition path.
- Transition rates vary with pump-probe wavelength pairs.
- Dual-wavelength data confirm a nonlinear transition, supporting the excitonic model.
Conclusions:
- The developed mathematical framework accurately models melanin's optical properties.
- The excitonic model provides a basis for understanding melanin's spectral behavior.
- Gnomonic projection analysis is a versatile tool for biomolecular and analytical chemistry.
