Selective nanomanipulation using optical forces

We present a detailed theoretical study of the recent proposal for selective nanomanipulation of nanometric particles above a substrate using near-field optical forces [Chaumet {\it et al.} Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 88}, 123601 (2002)]. Evanescent light scattering at the apex of an apertureless near-field probe is used to create an optical trap. The position of the trap is controlled on a nanometric scale via the probe and small objects can be selectively trapped and manipulated. We discuss the influence of the geometry of the particles and the probe on the efficiency of the trap. We also consider the influence of multiple scattering among the particles on the substrate and its effect on the robustness of the trap.Comment: 12 pages, 17 figure

Inverse scattering for reflection intensity phase microscopy

Reflection phase imaging provides label-free, high-resolution characterization of biological samples, typically using interferometric-based techniques. Here, we investigate reflection phase microscopy from intensity-only measurements under diverse illumination. We evaluate the forward and inverse scattering model based on the first Born approximation for imaging scattering objects above a glass slide. Under this design, the measured field combines linear forward-scattering and height-dependent nonlinear back-scattering from the object that complicates object phase recovery. Using only the forward-scattering, we derive a linear inverse scattering model and evaluate this model's validity range in simulation and experiment using a standard reflection microscope modified with a programmable light source. Our method provides enhanced contrast of thin, weakly scattering samples that complement transmission techniques. This model provides a promising development for creating simplified intensity-based reflection quantitative phase imaging systems easily adoptable for biological research.https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.07709Accepted manuscrip

Generalization of the coupled dipole method to periodic structures

We present a generalization of the coupled dipole method to the scattering of light by arbitrary periodic structures. This new formulation of the coupled dipole method relies on the same direct-space discretization scheme that is widely used to study the scattering of light by finite objects. Therefore, all the knowledge acquired previously for finite systems can be transposed to the study of periodic structures.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, and 1 tabl

Optical binding of particles with or without the presence of a flat dielectric surface

Optical fields can induce forces between microscopic objects, thus giving rise to new structures of matter. We study theoretically these optical forces between two spheres, either isolated in water, or in presence of a flat dielectric surface. We observe different behavior in the binding force between particles at large and at small distances (in comparison with the wavelength) from each other. This is due to the great contribution of evanescent waves at short distances. We analyze how the optical binding depends of the size of the particles, the material composing them, the wavelength and, above all, on the polarization of the incident beam. We also show that depending on the polarization, the force between small particles at small distances changes its sign. Finally, the presence of a substrate surface is analyzed showing that it only slightly changes the magnitudes of the forces, but not their qualitative nature, except when one employs total internal reflection, case in which the particles are induced to move together along the surface.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, and 1 tabl

Localized vibrational modes in optically bound structures

We show, through analytical theory and rigorous numerical calculations, that optical binding can organize a collection of particles into stable one-dimensional lattice. This lattice, as well as other optically-bound structures, are shown to exhibit spatially localized vibrational eigenmodes. The origin of localization here is distinct from the usual mechanisms such as disorder, defect, or nonlinearity, but is a consequence of the long-ranged nature of optical binding. For an array of particles trapped by an interference pattern, the stable configuration is often dictated by the external light source, but our calculation revealed that inter-particle optical binding forces can have a profound influence on the dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, Optical Bindin

An Ultrawideband Time Reversal-based RADAR for Microwave-range Imaging in Cluttered Media

This work presents a new RADAR prototype built for the purpose of imaging targets located in a cluttered environment. The system is capable of performing Phase Conjugation experiments in the ultrawideband [2-4] GHz. In addition, applying the D.O.R.T. method to the inter-element matrix allows us to selectively focus onto targets, hence reducing the clutter contribution. We aim to experimentally explore the use of this focusing wave into an inversion algorithm, in order to improve its robustness against noise. Before testing this idea, we show here the first results validating the prototype separately in the frame of selective focusing via the DORT method and of multistatic-multifrequency inversion

Isotropic Single Objective (ISO) microscopy : Theory and Experiment

International audienceIsotropic single-objective (ISO) microscopy is a recently proposed imaging technique that can theoretically exhibit the same axial and transverse resolutions as 4Pi microscopy while using a classical single-objective confocal microscope. This achievement is obtained by placing the sample on a mirror and shaping the illumination beam so that the interference of the incident and mirror-reflected fields yields a quasi-spherical spot. In this work, we model the image formation in the ISO fluorescence microscope and simulate its point spread function. Then, we describe the experimental implementation and discuss its practical difficulties

Two-photon fluorescence isotropic-single-objective microscopy

International audienceTwo-photon excitation provides efficient optical sectioning in three-dimensional fluorescence microscopy, independently of a confocal detection. In two-photon laser-scanning microscopy, the image resolution is governed by the volume of the excitation light spot, which is obtained by focusing the incident laser beam through the objective lens of the microscope. The light spot being strongly elongated along the optical axis, the axial resolution is much lower than the transverse one. In this Letter we show that it is possible to strongly reduce the axial size of the excitation spot by shaping the incident beam and using a mirror in place of a standard glass slide to support the sample. Provided that the contribution of sidelobes can be removed through deconvolution procedures, this approach should allow us to achieve similar axial and lateral resolution

Numerical approach for reducing out-of-focus light in bright-field fluorescence microscopy and superresolution speckle microscopy

International audienceThe standard two-dimensional (2D) image recorded in bright-field fluorescence microscopy is rigorously modeled by a convolution process involving a three-dimensional (3D) sample and a 3D point spread function. We show on synthetic and experimental data that deconvolving the 2D image using the appropriate 3D point spread function reduces the contribution of the out-of-focus fluorescence, resulting in a better image contrast and resolution. This approach is particularly interesting for superresolution speckle microscopy, in which the resolution gain stems directly from the efficiency of the deconvolution of each speckle image