Method and device for photothermal imaging tiny particles immersed in a given medium

Abstract

A method and device for photothermal imaging tiny metal particles which are immersed in a given medium like a living cell deposited onto a transparent glass slide. The given medium and immersed tiny metal particles are illuminated through separate phase reference laser beam and sensitive probe laser beam, with the sensitive probe laser beam including a heating laser beam undergoing through impingement on the given medium slight phase changes induced by photothermal effect due to a local heating, in the absence of any substantial phase changes to the phase reference laser beam. Illuminating is performed by focusing the separate phase reference and sensitive probe laser beam through the transparent glass slide at a given depth within the given medium and a transmitted phase reference laser beam and a transmitted sensitive probe laser beam undergoing the slight phase changes are generated. An image of the given medium at the given depth is formed through the transmitted phase reference and sensitive probe laser beam and the slight phase changes on the transmitted sensitive probe laser beam with reference to the reference phase laser beam are detected so as to allow each of the tiny metal particles to be imaged as an optical label.