Date of Award

2013-01-01

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Physics

Advisor(s)

Chunqiang Li

Abstract

Biomedical Imaging is an important tool in medical research and clinical practice. From understanding the fundamental processes involved in our biological makeup to its use in diagnostics in helping determine what ails us, the advancements in imaging and microscopy have helped shape our view of the world and nature. Microscopy in particular is often used to study the smallest of cells and their dynamical properties while attempting to minimally change the sample being studied. My research objective is largely divided into two parts. The first part consists of designing a video-rate raster scanning two-photon microscope that is faster than current commercially available two-photon microscopes, while maintaining the high-quality optical resolution of the system. This fast scanning mechanism proves to be an essential component in biomedical imaging due to the fact that many biological processes are dynamic and require the use of imaging systems with a high degree of temporal resolution in order to study. The second objective of my research is to implement the microscope, building it up component by component, and then demonstrating its high speed imaging capabilities, in which I have been largely successful. Current commercially available two-photon microscopes have imaging speeds on the order of 2 frames per second; however, our imaging system currently has a video-rate imaging speed at 30 frames per second. In addition, with further improvements and changes to the electronics that control our mirrors, we hope to soon achieve imaging speeds of up to 300 frames per second. Since my goal is to increase the temporal resolvability of images while imaging a fast moving, dynamic biological system, I also helped design and construct a second two-photon microscope that theoretically has the ability to temporally resolve the images on the order of several thousand of frames per second. However, given the high image acquisition period of our relatively low peak power laser, we were able to acquire images on the order of 2-3 frames per second. This work is to be continued.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

46 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Judith Noemi Rivera

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Optics Commons

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