De-scattering with Excitation Patterning enables rapid wide-field imaging through scattering media

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Microscopy
• Computational Imaging

Background:

• Nonlinear optical microscopy achieves in vivo deep tissue imaging but faces throughput limitations.
• Wide-field imaging is hindered by photon scattering in thick, turbid samples, degrading image quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel technique, De-scattering with Excitation Patterning (DEEP), to overcome throughput and scattering challenges in deep tissue imaging.
• To enable high-resolution structural feature reconstruction from significantly fewer measurements compared to traditional methods.

Main Methods:

• DEEP utilizes patterned nonlinear excitation with multiphoton temporal focusing to project high-resolution patterns deep within specimens.
• Computational imaging-assisted wide-field detection is employed for image acquisition.
• Long wavelength light is used to enable penetration through multiple scattering lengths.

Main Results:

• DEEP successfully overcomes the scattering limitations of conventional wide-field imaging in thick tissues.
• High-resolution structural features are reconstructed using tens to hundreds of DEEP images.
• The technique significantly enhances imaging throughput compared to point-scanning methods.

Conclusions:

• DEEP represents a significant advancement in deep tissue imaging, offering improved resolution and throughput.
• This method holds promise for various biomedical applications requiring in vivo imaging of thick specimens.