Optical microscopy systems based on photoacoustic imaging

摘要

The present application discloses optical microscopy systems and related method that use modulation techniques and contrast agents to enable the systems to detect nonlinear photoacoustic signals with high spectrum sensitivity and frequency selectivity for imaging. A laser beam is amplitude modulated for pure sinusoidal modulation using either the loss modulation technique or the single light amplitude modulation technique. The sample used in the invention is an endogenous contrast agent by itself or is treated by at least one exogenous contrast agent to produce or enhance photoacoustic effect induced by multi-photon absorption. The modulated laser beam is focused via a focusing device onto a sample which absorbs multiple photons simultaneously and generates ultrasonic (acoustic) waves via nonlinear photoacoustic effect. The ultrasonic waves are received and transformed into electrical signals and the frequency signals within the electrical signals are detected and recorded to create images.

主权项

1. An optical microscopy system comprising:
(a) a pulsed light source configured to emit at least one laser beam; (b) at least one light modulation module configured to modulate in amplitude the at least one laser beam for pure sinusoidal modulation; (c) a focusing device configured to focus the at least one modulated laser beam onto a sample, wherein the sample itself is an endogenous contrast agent or is treated by at least one exogenous contrast agent so as to be excited to generate nonlinear photoacoustic waves in the sample in response to the at least one modulated laser beam; (d) at least one ultrasonic transducer module configured to receive and transform the nonlinear photoacoustic waves into electrical signals and to extract frequency signals within the electrical signals; and (e) a scanning device configured to scan, record, map, and process intensity of the signals received from the at least one ultrasonic transducer module to create images of the sample.