Microscopy Club Lecture

Host: Jörg Enderlein (U GOE), MBExC
Local organizer: Alexander Egner (IFNANO)

Speaker: Maciej Wojtkowski, International Center for Translational Eye Research (ICTER) and Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

Spatio-temporal optical imaging – new method for in vivo imaging

Abstract:
In vivo optical microscopy with quality comparable to fixed samples remains challenging. We developed Spatio-Temporal Optical Coherence (STOC) Imaging, which dynamically adjusts spatial phase relationships in illuminating light to improve imaging quality. Applied to 3-D imaging as Spatio-Temporal Optical Coherence Tomography (STOC-T), this method uses hundreds of uncorrelated spectral interferograms to amplify ballistic photon signals while attenuating scattered photons. STOC-T provides fast, high-contrast imaging, maintaining high resolution at significant depths without repeated measurements. When applied to eye imaging, STOC-T supports functional imaging techniques like Optoretinography (ORG), which measures photoreceptor responses to light stimuli. We introduced Flicker Optoretinography (f-ORG) for measuring rapid optical path length changes under photopic conditions, achieving reproducible, single-nanometer sensitivity in light-adapted eyes. This approach enhances understanding of retinal responses and photopigment photoactivation processes.