Spectrally Gated Microscopy (SGM) with Meta Optics for Parallel Three-Dimensional Imaging

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Microscopy
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• Volumetric imaging demands high spatiotemporal resolution for diverse applications.
• Current 3D sectioning methods struggle to achieve both rapid acquisition and high axial resolution simultaneously.
• Limitations exist in rejecting out-of-focus light efficiently in existing imaging technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and demonstrate a new microscopy technique for high-resolution volumetric imaging.
• To overcome the trade-off between acquisition speed and axial resolution in 3D imaging.
• To present a novel approach for single-shot, full-depth imaging with submicron resolution.

Main Methods:

• Development and experimental validation of spectrally gated microscopy (SGM).
• Leveraging flat optics (metalenses/diffractive lenses) for short focal length and strong chromatic aberrations.
• Utilizing spectral gating for axial dimension interrogation in a single shot.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated submicron sectioning resolution across the full axial dimension in a single shot.
• Achieved 3D imaging of millimeter-scale samples.
• Lateral scanning only was required, showcasing a significant advantage over existing methods.

Conclusions:

• Spectrally gated microscopy (SGM) provides a powerful new tool for volumetric imaging.
• The technique effectively combines high axial resolution with rapid, single-shot acquisition.
• SGM presents a significant advancement for applications requiring fast, high-resolution 3D imaging.