Monitoring energy and matter fluxes by use of electromagnetic radiations

摘要

Apparatus and method are provided for monitoring and measuring matter and energy fluxes by use of devices able to detect refractive index changes. In one aspect, apparatus use an interference between two electromagnetic radiations in order to provide high sensitivity, enabling fluxes monitoring at the microscopic scale, by measuring phase changes or Optical Path Length (OPL) changes. In one aspect, methods are provided for monitoring and measuring the electrical activity of a biological cells, simultaneously on several cells, without use of electrodes and contrast agents.

主权项

1. Apparatus for monitoring fluxes of ionic current comprising:
a source of electromagnetic radiation, a passage adapted to let ionic current flow therein, and electromagnetic radiation phase or refractive index measuring means, all previously cited elements being arranged in a way that an electromagnetic radiation emitted by said source successively crosses said passage and enters said electromagnetic radiation phase or refractive index measuring means, and wherein the apparatus further includes a calculator to apply a mathematical model to determine an ionic current flux, said mathematical model determining the ionic current flux based on the first temporal derivative of a measured signal, said measured signal providing the temporal evolution of one of: the refractive index, the phase or the optical path length.