Finite-Difference Time-Domain Simulation for Three-dimensional Polarized Light Imaging

Three-dimensional Polarized Light Imaging (3D-PLI) is a promising technique to reconstruct the nerve fiber architecture of human post-mortem brains from birefringence measurements of histological brain sections with micrometer resolution. To better understand how the reconstructed fiber orientations are related to the underlying fiber structure, numerical simulations are employed. Here, we present two complementary simulation approaches that reproduce the entire 3D-PLI analysis: First, we give a short review on a simulation approach that uses the Jones matrix calculus to model the birefringent myelin sheaths. Afterwards, we introduce a more sophisticated simulation tool: a 3D Maxwell solver based on a Finite-Difference Time-Domain algorithm that simulates the propagation of the electromagnetic light wave through the brain tissue. We demonstrate that the Maxwell solver is a valuable tool to better understand the interaction of polarized light with brain tissue and to enhance the accuracy of the fiber orientations extracted by 3D-PLI.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure

Generation and subwavelength focusing of longitudinal magnetic fields in a metallized fiber tip

We demonstrate experimentally and numerically that in fiber tips as they are used in NSOMs azimuthally polarized electrical fields (|E$_{\text{azi}}$|$^2$/|E$_{\text{tot}}$|$^2$ $\approx$ 55% $\pm$ 5% for 1.4\mu m tip aperture diameter and \lambda$_0$ = 1550nm), respectively subwavelength confined (FWHM $\approx$ 450nm $\approx$ \lambda$_0$/3.5) magnetic fields, are generated for a certain tip aperture diameter (d = 1.4\mu m). We attribute the generation of this field distribution in metal-coated fiber tips to symmetry breaking in the bend and subsequent plasmonic mode filtering in the truncated conical taper.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

A Jones matrix formalism for simulating three-dimensional polarized light imaging of brain tissue

The neuroimaging technique three-dimensional polarized light imaging (3D-PLI) provides a high-resolution reconstruction of nerve fibres in human post-mortem brains. The orientations of the fibres are derived from birefringence measurements of histological brain sections assuming that the nerve fibres - consisting of an axon and a surrounding myelin sheath - are uniaxial birefringent and that the measured optic axis is oriented in direction of the nerve fibres (macroscopic model). Although experimental studies support this assumption, the molecular structure of the myelin sheath suggests that the birefringence of a nerve fibre can be described more precisely by multiple optic axes oriented radially around the fibre axis (microscopic model). In this paper, we compare the use of the macroscopic and the microscopic model for simulating 3D-PLI by means of the Jones matrix formalism. The simulations show that the macroscopic model ensures a reliable estimation of the fibre orientations as long as the polarimeter does not resolve structures smaller than the diameter of single fibres. In the case of fibre bundles, polarimeters with even higher resolutions can be used without losing reliability. When taking the myelin density into account, the derived fibre orientations are considerably improved.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure

The conformational evolution of elongated polymer solutions tailors the polarization of light-emission from organic nanofibers

Polymer fibers are currently exploited in tremendously important technologies. Their innovative properties are mainly determined by the behavior of the polymer macromolecules under the elongation induced by external mechanical or electrostatic forces, characterizing the fiber drawing process. Although enhanced physical properties were observed in polymer fibers produced under strong stretching conditions, studies of the process-induced nanoscale organization of the polymer molecules are not available, and most of fiber properties are still obtained on an empirical basis. Here we reveal the orientational properties of semiflexible polymers in electrospun nanofibers, which allow the polarization properties of active fibers to be finely controlled. Modeling and simulations of the conformational evolution of the polymer chains during electrostatic elongation of semidilute solutions demonstrate that the molecules stretch almost fully within less than 1 mm from jet start, increasing polymer axial orientation at the jet center. The nanoscale mapping of the local dichroism of individual fibers by polarized near-field optical microscopy unveils for the first time the presence of an internal spatial variation of the molecular order, namely the presence of a core with axially aligned molecules and a sheath with almost radially oriented molecules. These results allow important and specific fiber properties to be manipulated and tailored, as here demonstrated for the polarization of emitted light.Comment: 45 pages, 10 figures, Macromolecules (2014

Dense Fiber Modeling for 3D-Polarized Light Imaging Simulations

3D-Polarized Light Imaging (3D-PLI) is a neuroimaging technique used to study the structural connectivity of the human brain at the meso- and microscale. In 3D-PLI, the complex nerve fiber architecture of the brain is characterized by 3D orientation vector fields that are derived from birefringence measurements of unstained histological brain sections by means of an effective physical model. To optimize the physical model and to better understand the underlying microstructure, numerical simulations are essential tools to optimize the used physical model and to understand the underlying microstructure in detail. The simulations rely on predefined configurations of nerve fiber models (e.g. crossing, kissing, or complex intermingling), their physical properties, as well as the physical properties of the employed optical system to model the entire 3D-PLI measurement. By comparing the simulation and experimental results, possible misinterpretations in the fiber reconstruction process of 3D-PLI can be identified. Here, we focus on fiber modeling with a specific emphasize on the generation of dense fiber distributions as found in the human brain's white matter. A new algorithm will be introduced that allows to control possible intersections of computationally grown fiber structures

Design and fabrication of blazed gratings for a waveguide-type head mounted display

In a waveguide-type display for augmented reality, the image is injected in the waveguide and extracted in front of the eye appearing superimposed on the real-world scene. An elegant and compact way of coupling these images in and out is by using blazed gratings, which can achieve high diffraction efficiencies. We report the design of blazed gratings for green light (lambda = 543 nm) and a diffraction angle of 43 degrees. The blazed gratings with a pitch of 508 nm and a fill factor of 0.66 are fabricated using grayscale electron beam lithography. We outline the subsequent replication in a polymer waveguide material with ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography and confirm a throughput efficiency of 17.4%. We finally show the in- and outcoupling of an image through two blazed gratings appearing sharp and non-distorted in the environment. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreemen