Enhanced Quantitative Wavefront Imaging for Nano-Object Characterization.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38981602.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acsnano.4c05152 and PMC identifier 11271181.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Quantitative phase imaging enables precise and label-free characterizations of individual nano-objects within a large volume, without <i>a priori</i> knowledge of the sample or imaging system. While emerging common path implementations are simple enough to promise a broad dissemination, their phase sensitivity still falls short of precisely estimating the mass or polarizability of vesicles, viruses, or nanoparticles in single-shot acquisitions. In this paper, we revisit the Zernike filtering concept, originally crafted for intensity-only detectors, with the aim of adapting it to wavefront imaging. We demonstrate, through numerical simulation and experiments based on high-resolution wavefront sensing, that a simple Fourier-plane add-on can significantly enhance phase sensitivity for subdiffraction objects─achieving over an order of magnitude increase (×12)─while allowing the quantitative retrieval of both intensity and phase. This advancement allows for more precise nano-object detection and metrology.