Spatial filtering technique to image and measure two-dimensional near-forward scattering from single particles

Two-dimensional small-angle scattering from single particles in infrared with a lensless technique

An experiment is described where two-dimensional small-angle light scattering (2D-SALS) patterns from single particles are measured in the infrared through a lens-free approach. Spatial filtering is employed to separate scattered light from unscattered light to within approximately one degree from the forward direction. Non-planar reflective elements are used in the filtering process, permitting 2D-SALS measurements to be done without chromatic aberrations over a broad spectral range and from 0.8 to 8 degrees in the polar scattering angle and zero to 360 degrees in the azimuthal angle. Patterns from spherical microparticles are presented along with nonspherical particles including volcanic ash and salt. An asymmetry analysis is applied to demonstrate an ability to differentiate spherical from nonspherical particles from the 2D-SALS patterns.

Discrete image recovery via stochastic resonance in optically induced photonic lattices

We demonstrate numerically the discrete image recovery via stochastic resonance in optically induced photonic lattices. The underlying signals are regularly reinforced at the expense of scattering noise with the interplay of the periodic potentials and the self-focusing nonlinearity. We founded that the energy redistribution tends to be periodic and the signal reinforcement is promoted with the help of periodic potentials. The lattice intensity levels, applied voltages, and correlation lengths are important parameters to influence the recovery effects. The dynamic nonlinear evolution including intensity and power spectrum is modeled according to the two-dimensional quasi-particle motion model. Our results suggest a potential technology to detect the noisy images.

Quasi-three-dimensional particle imaging with digital holography

In this work, approximate three-dimensional structures of microparticles are generated with digital holography using an automated focus method. This is done by stacking a collection of silhouette-like images of a particle reconstructed from a single in-line hologram. The method enables estimation of the particle size in the longitudinal and transverse dimensions. Using the discrete dipole approximation, the method is tested computationally by simulating holograms for a variety of particles and attempting to reconstruct the known three-dimensional structure. It is found that poor longitudinal resolution strongly perturbs the reconstructed structure, yet the method does provide an approximate sense for the structure's longitudinal dimension. The method is then applied to laboratory measurements of holograms of single microparticles and their scattering patterns.

Simultaneous holographic imaging and light-scattering pattern measurement of individual microparticles

This work combines digital holography with spatial filtering at two wavelengths to record the hologram and light-scattering pattern for a single particle using a color sensor. Particles 30-100 μm in size and with various shapes are considered. The results demonstrate the ability to unambiguously associate a complicated scattering pattern with the particle size, shape, and orientation.

Evaluation of a spectrally resolved scattering microscope

A scattering microscope was developed to investigate single cells and biological microstructures by light scattering measurements. The spectrally resolved part of the setup and its validation are shown in detail. The analysis of light scattered by homogenous polystyrene spheres allows the determination of their diameters using Mie theory. The diameters of 150 single polystyrene spheres were determined by the spectrally resolved scattering microscope. In comparison, the same polystyrene suspension stock was investigated by a collimated transmission setup. Mean diameters and standard deviations of the size distribution were evaluated by both methods with a statistical error of less than 1nm. The systematic errors of both devices are in agreement within the measurement accuracy.

Three-dimensional depth-resolved and extended-resolution micro-particle characterization by holographic light scattering spectroscopy

Fourier-holographic light scattering spectroscopy is applied to record complex angular scattering spectra of two- and three-dimensional samples over a wide field of view. We introduce a computational depth sectioning technique and, for the first time, demonstrate that a single-exposure hologram can generate a quantitative, three-dimensional map of particle sizes and locations over several cubic millimeters with micrometer resolution. Such spatially resolved maps of particle sizes are generated by Mie-inversion and could not be ascertained from the directly reconstructed intensity-distribution images. We also demonstrate synthesis of multiple angular scattering intensity spectra to increase the angular range and improve size detection sensitivity.

Two-dimensional Guinier analysis: application to single aerosol particles in-flight

This work presents an apparatus that measures near-forward two-dimensional elastic scattering patterns of single aerosol particles and proposes a two-angle extension of the Guinier law to analyze these patterns. The particles, which approximately range from 2 to 8 micrometers in size, flow through the apparatus in an aerosol stream. A spatial filtering technique separates the near-forward portion of the patterns from the illumination light. Contours intended to represent the geometrical profile of the particles are generated from the patterns using the extension of the Guinier law. The analysis is applied to spherical and nonspherical particles, and the resulting contours are found to be consistent with particle shape only for spherical particles.