Open AccessNanobomb optical coherence elastography
Author(s) -
Chih-Hao Liu,
Dmitry Nevozhay,
Alexander Schill,
Manmohan Singh,
Susobhan Das,
Achuth Nair,
Zhaolong Han,
Salavat R. Aglyamov,
Kirill V. Larin,
Konstantin Sokolov
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
optics letters/optics index
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.524
H-Index - 272
eISSN - 1071-2763
pISSN - 0146-9592
DOI - 10.1364/ol.43.002006
Subject(s) - elastography , materials science , optics , optical coherence tomography , coherence (philosophical gambling strategy) , displacement (psychology) , excited state , laser , acoustics , biomedical engineering , physics , ultrasound , medicine , psychology , nuclear physics , psychotherapist , quantum mechanics
Wave-based optical elastography is rapidly emerging as a powerful technique for quantifying tissue biomechanical properties due to its noninvasive nature and high displacement sensitivity. However, current approaches are limited in their ability to produce high-frequency waves and highly localized mechanical stress. In this Letter, we demonstrate that the rapid liquid-to-gas phase transition of dye-loaded perfluorocarbon nanodroplets ("nanobombs") initiated by a pulsed laser can produce highly localized, high-frequency, and broadband elastic waves. The waves were detected by an ultra-fast line-field low-coherence holography system. For comparison, we also excited waves using a focused micro-air-pulse. Results from tissue-mimicking phantoms showed that the nanobombs produced elastic waves with frequencies up to ∼9 kHz, which was much greater than the ∼2 kHz waves excited by the air-pulse. Consequently, the nanobombs enabled more accurate quantification of sample viscoelasticity. Combined with their potential for functionalization, the nanobombs show promise for accurate and highly specific noncontact all-optical elastography.