In live sciences, the observation and analysis of moving living cells, molecular motors or motion of micro- and nano-objects is a current field of research. At the same time, microfluidic innovations are needed for biological and medical applications on a micro- and nano-scale. Conventional microscopy techniques are reaching considerable limits with respect to these issues. A promising approach for this challenge is nonlinear dynamic phase contrast microscopy. It is an alternative full field approach that allows to detect motion as well as phase changes of living unstained micro-objects in real-time, thereby being marker free, without contact and non destructive, i.e. fully biocompatible. The generality of this system allows it to be combined with several other microscope techniques such as conventional bright field or fluorescence microscopy. In this article we will present the dynamic phase contrast technique and its applications in analysis of micro organismic dynamics, micro flow velocimetry and micro-mixing analysis.

Date Published: 29 August 2008
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 7038, Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation V, 70380X (29 August 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.801501

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7038:
Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation V
Kishan Dholakia; Gabriel C. Spalding, Editor(s)