FIP Seminar: "Computational adaptive optics and super resolution imaging with nonlinear holographic microscopy"

Optical microscopy plays a pivotal role in the understanding of spatial and temporal dynamics of biological systems and for probing material systems. Light interacts gently with biological systems, which makes imaging extremely powerful for observing living systems. As a result, optical microscopy enables everything from the discovery of basic biological processes to the ability to diagnose disease to the discovery of new materials. Optical microscopy is primarily bound by three limits: spatial resolution, molecular specificity of imaging targets, and imaging depth in tissue. My group develops new methods for extracting a greater range of information from optical microscopy. I will discuss several aspects of computational imaging with widefield nonlinear microscopy using second harmonic generation (SHG), third harmonic generation (THG), and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS). These imaging methods are extremely useful for imaging studies ranging from biological samples to novel material systems. In biological samples, SHG, THG, and CARS signal generation is dominated by signals from collagen in the extracellular matrix and from muscle fibers. I will discuss computational adaptive optics for SHG and THG holographic imaging. In addition, I will discuss a new widefield computational super resolution CARS microscopy that offers a powerful new approach to vibrational spectroscopic imaging.