Second harmonic generation from thick leaves using the two-photon laser scanning microscope

Two-photon excitation fluorescence microspectroscopy protocols for examining fluorophores in fossil plants

Fluorescence emission is common in plants. While fluorescence microscopy has been widely used to study living plants, its application in quantifying the fluorescence of fossil plants has been limited. Fossil plant fluorescence, from original fluorophores or formed during fossilization, can offer valuable insights into fluorescence in ancient plants and fossilization processes. In this work, we utilize two-photon fluorescence microspectroscopy to spatially and spectrally resolve the fluorescence emitted by amber-embedded plants, leaf compressions, and silicified wood. The advanced micro-spectroscope utilized, with its pixel-level spectral resolution and line-scan excitation capabilities, allows us to collect comprehensive excitation and emission spectra with high sensitivity and minimal laser damage to the specimens. By applying linear spectral unmixing to the spectrally resolved fluorescence images, we can differentiate between (a) the matrix and (b) the materials that comprise the fossil. Our analysis suggests that the latter correspond to durable tissues such as lignin and cellulose. Additionally, we observe potential signals from chlorophyll derivatives/tannins, although minerals may have contributed to this. This research opens doors to exploring ancient ecosystems and understanding the ecological roles of fluorescence in plants throughout time. Furthermore, the protocols developed herein can also be applied to analyze non-plant fossils and biological specimens.

Confocal probe based on the second harmonic generation for measurement of linear and angular displacements

A measurement method based on a confocal probe on the second harmonic generation that can measure linear and angular displacements in the focusing point is proposed. In the proposed method, a pinhole or an optical fiber placed in front of the detector in conventional confocal probes is replaced by a nonlinear optical crystal, which is utilized as a medium generating second harmonic wave whose light intensity changes by the linear and angular displacements of a target under measurement. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified by theoretical calculations and experiments with the newly designed optical setup. Experimental results have demonstrated that the developed confocal probe has a resolution of 20 nm and 5 arc-seconds for measurement of linear and angular displacements, respectively.

Application of quantitative second-harmonic generation microscopy to posterior cruciate ligament for crimp analysis studies

We use second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy to quantitatively characterize collagen fiber crimping in the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The obtained SHG images are utilized to define three distinct categories of crimp organization in the PCL. Using our previously published spatial-frequency analysis, we develop a simple algorithm to quantitatively distinguish the various crimp patterns. In addition, SHG microscopy reveals both the three-dimensional structural variation in some PCL crimp patterns as well as an underlying helicity in these patterns that have mainly been observed using electron microscopy. Our work highlights how SHG microscopy could potentially be used to link the fibrous structural information in the PCL to its mechanical properties.

Elastic theory for the deformation of a spherical dielectric biological object under electro-optical trapping

The shear modulus of a dielectric spherical particle is investigated using a combination of triangular (or square) electrodes and a single-beam optical tweezer.

Cell-to-cell diversity in a synchronized Chlamydomonas culture as revealed by single-cell analyses

In a synchronized photoautotrophic culture of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, cell size, cell number, and the averaged starch content were determined throughout the light-dark cycle. For single-cell analyses, the relative cellular starch was quantified by measuring the second harmonic generation (SHG). In destained cells, amylopectin essentially represents the only biophotonic structure. As revealed by various validation procedures, SHG signal intensities are a reliable relative measure of the cellular starch content. During photosynthesis-driven starch biosynthesis, synchronized Chlamydomonas cells possess an unexpected cell-to-cell diversity both in size and starch content, but the starch-related heterogeneity largely exceeds that of size. The cellular volume, starch content, and amount of starch/cell volume obey lognormal distributions. Starch degradation was initiated by inhibiting the photosynthetic electron transport in illuminated cells or by darkening. Under both conditions, the averaged rate of starch degradation is almost constant, but it is higher in illuminated than in darkened cells. At the single-cell level, rates of starch degradation largely differ but are unrelated to the initial cellular starch content. A rate equation describing the cellular starch degradation is presented. SHG-based three-dimensional reconstructions of Chlamydomonas cells containing starch granules are shown.

Enhanced two-channel nonlinear imaging by a highly polarized supercontinuum light source generated from a nonlinear photonic crystal fiber with two zero-dispersion wavelengths

Real-time monitoring the variation of chlorophyll distributions and cellular structures in leaves during plant growth provides important information for understanding the physiological statuses of plants. Two-photon-excited autofluorescence imaging and second harmonic generation imaging of leaves can be used for monitoring the nature intrinsic fluorophores distribution and cellular structures of leaves by the use of the near-infrared region of light which has minimal light absorption by endogenous molecules and thus increases tissue penetration. However, the two-photon absorption peak of intrinsic fluorophores of a ficus benjamina leaf is 50 nm away from the second harmonic generation excitation wavelength, which cannot be effectively excited by a femtosecond laser beam with one central wavelength. This paper shows that a highly polarized supercontinuum light generated from a birefringent nonlinear photonic crystal fiber with two zero-dispersion wavelengths can effectively excite two-photon autofluorescence as well as second harmonic generation signals for simultaneously monitoring intrinsic fluorophore distributions and non-centrosymmetric structures of leaves.

Mining the polarization-dependence of nonlinear optical measurements

The electromagnetic field strength present within the focal volume of a pulsed laser is routinely high enough to produce reasonably efficient nonlinear summing and mixing of optical frequencies. The polarization-dependence of the outgoing beam is a sensitive function of the polarization state(s) of the incident beam(s) and the structure, orientation, and symmetry of the sample. Mining this information hinges on two elements: (1) accurate and precise polarization-dependent measurements, and (2) reliable modeling to relate the measured responses back to local structure and orientation. The central focus of this review is on the first step. Experimental strategies for precise and accurate nonlinear optical ellipsometry (NOE) polarization measurements are summarized for the most common and simplest case of second harmonic generation (SHG), or the frequency doubling of light, although extension to higher-order nonlinear optical interactions is straightforward in most cases.

Optical microscopy in photosynthesis

Emerging as well as the most frequently used optical microscopy techniques are reviewed and image contrast generation methods in a microscope are presented, focusing on the nonlinear contrasts such as harmonic generation and multiphoton excitation fluorescence. Nonlinear microscopy presents numerous advantages over linear microscopy techniques including improved deep tissue imaging, optical sectioning, and imaging of live unstained samples. Nonetheless, with the exception of multiphoton excitation fluorescence, nonlinear microscopy is in its infancy, lacking protocols, users and applications; hence, this review focuses on the potential of nonlinear microscopy for studying photosynthetic organisms. Examples of nonlinear microscopic imaging are presented including isolated light-harvesting antenna complexes from higher plants, starch granules, chloroplasts, unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and cyanobacteria Leptolyngbya sp. and Anabaena sp. While focusing on nonlinear microscopy techniques, second and third harmonic generation and multiphoton excitation fluorescence microscopy, other emerging nonlinear imaging modalities are described and several linear optical microscopy techniques are reviewed in order to clearly describe their capabilities and to highlight the advantages of nonlinear microscopy.