Biological samples often have various absorption bands that need to be either targeted or avoided in opto-fluidic micromanipulation or biomedical imaging. With nonlinear optics, it is possible for light to self-induce a waveguide. However, the desired wavelengths may not be suitable to exhibit nonlinear self-guiding due to the absorption bands or the light-bioparticle interaction is not strong enough. Here we study formation of waveguides in red blood cell suspensions for a range of different wavelengths. We utilize nonlinear optical response for self-trapping of a laser beam, forming light guides in RBCs suspended in a phosphate buffer solution. To improve the number of usable light wavelengths over purely self-guided propagation, we use the master-slave relation, in a manner similar to the pump-probe experiment: a master beam creates a waveguide first in a scattering bio-soft-matter suspension over a few centimeters, and then a “slave” beam uses this waveguide to propagate through the medium. The slave beam, injected simultaneously, has no appreciable nonlinear self-action itself but experiences the master waveguide akin to an optical fiber. This new approach can provide a path to guide a wide range of wavelengths, including those in the absorption bands at lower power so as not to damage the sample. The fact that we can guide a wide range of wavelengths may bring about new applications in medicine and biology, for instance, in developing alternative solutions to transmit energy and information through scattering media, as needed in deep-tissue imaging, treatment and diagnostics.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.