Duke Physics Colloquium: Optimized deep-tissue imaging with the optical memory effect

"Optimized deep-tissue imaging with the optical memory effect" - It is still surprisingly challenging to capture clear images of many biological phenomena. One primary cause is optical scattering. Visible light quickly scatters as it enters biological tissue, resulting in blurry images of sub-surface structure. Techniques like adaptive optics can correct for scattering to improve image clarity, but only over a limited field of view (FOV). In this talk, I will present various strategies to optimize the performance of adaptive optics microscopes to image deep inside scattering samples like biological tissue. I will present a generalized model of "memory effect" correlations that may be explored to both tilt and shift incident light while maintaining a sharp focus. I will also discuss how temporal degrees of freedom can further extend the memory effect scan range. Experimental results will show how these insights can increase the FOV of adaptive optics microscopes by up to 6X, and lead to a 4X larger scan range for deep-tissue focusing with time-gated light. Examples include imaging neuronal and basal dendrite activity in layer 5 of the mouse cortex across a 200 µm FOV. Faculty host: Anselm Vossen. Refreshments will be available in room 130 before the event.