9 páginas, 4 figuras. ; The role of Dyakonov surface waves in the transmission through structures composed of birefringent media is theoretically explored. In the case of structures using prisms, unexpected high transmission above the critical angle due to resonant excitation of Dyakonov surface waves is predicted. This transmission is produced only when TE polarized incident wave reaches the interface supporting the surface waves within a narrow interval of angles, for both the angle of incidence and the angle with respect to the optic axis of the birefringent media. As a result, over 90% transmission for a single and isolated peak confined in the two transversal directions, with hybrid TE and TM polarization, can be obtained. ; This work is supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya (2009-SGR-159) and the Ministry of Science and Innovation, Government of Spain (grant FIS2009-09928). ; Peer reviewed
In this study, the second harmonic generation (SHG) response to polarization and subsequent data analysis is used to discriminate, in the same image, different SHG source architectures with pixel resolution. This is demonstrated in a mammalian tissue containing both skeletal muscle and fibrilar collagen. The SHG intensity variation with the input polarization (PSHG) is fitted pixel by pixel in the image using an algorithm based on a generalized biophysical model. The analysis provides the effective orientation, θe, of the different SHG active structures (harmonophores) at every pixel. This results in a new image in which collagen and muscle are clearly differentiated. In order to quantify the SHG response, the distribution of θe for every harmonophore is obtained. We found that for collagen, the distribution was centered at θe = 42.7° with a full width at half maximum of ∆θ = 5.9° while for muscle θe = 65.3°, with ∆θ = 7.7°. By comparing these distributions, a quantitative measurement of the discrimination procedure is provided. ; This work is supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya and by the Spanish government grant TEC2006-12654 SICO. Authors also acknowledge The Centre for Innovacio i Desenvolupament Empresarial-CIDEM (RDITSCON07-1-0006), Grupo Ferrer and the European Regional Development Fund. This research has been partially supported by Fundació Cellex Barcelona. ; Peer reviewed
Neuronal death can be preceded by progressive dysfunction of axons. Several pathological conditions such as ischemia can disrupt the neuronal cytoskeleton. Microtubules are basic structural components of the neuronal cytoskeleton that regulate axonal transport and neuronal function. Up-to-date, high-resolution observation of microtubules in living neuronal cells is usually accomplished using fluorescent-based microscopy techniques. However, this needs exogenous fluorescence markers to produce the required contrast. This is an invasive procedure that may interfere with the microtubule dynamics. In this work, we show, for the first time to our knowledge, that by using the endogenous (label-free) contrast provided by second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy, it is possible to identify early molecular changes occurring in the microtubules of living neurons under ischemic conditions. This is done by measuring the intensity modulation of the SHG signal as a function of the angular rotation of the incident linearly polarized excitation light (technique referred to as PSHG). Our experiments were performed in microtubules from healthy control cultured cortical neurons and were compared to those upon application of several periods of oxygen and glucose deprivation (up to 120 min) causing ischemia. After 120-min oxygen and glucose deprivation, a change in the SHG response to the polarization was measured. Then, by using a three-dimensional PSHG biophysical model, we correlated this finding with the structural changes occurring in the microtubules under oxygen and glucose deprivation. To our knowledge, this is the first study performed in living neuronal cells that is based on direct imaging of axons and that provides the means of identifying the early symptoms of ischemia. Live observation of this process might bring new insights into understanding the dynamics and the mechanisms underlying neuronal degeneration or mechanisms of protection or regeneration. ; This work is supported by the Spanish government through the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, grants No. TEC2009-09698 and No. FIS2009-09928; the Ministerio de Sanidad, grant No. FIS PI081932; the Laserlab-Europe Cont. grant No. JRA4:Optobio 212025; and the Photonics for Life Networks of Excellence. This research has also been partially supported by Fundació Cellex Barcelona and partially conducted at the Institute of Photonic Sciences' Super-Resolution Light Nanoscopy Facility. ; Peer reviewed
In this paper we provide, for the first time to our knowledge, the effective orientation of the SHG source in cultured cortical neuronal processes in vitro. This is done by the use of the polarization sensitive second harmonic generation (PSHG) imaging microscopy technique. By performing a pixel-level resolution analysis we found that the SHG dipole source has a distribution of angles centered at θe =33.96°, with a bandwidth of ∆θe = 12.85°. This orientation can be related with the molecular geometry of the tubulin heterodimmer contained in microtubules. ; This work is supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya and by the Spanish government grant TEC2006-12654. Authors also acknowledge The Centre for Innovacio i Desenvolupament Empresarial - CIDEM (RDITSCON07-1-0006), Grupo Ferrer and the European Regional Development Fund. This research has been partially supported by Fundació Cellex Barcelona. ; Peer reviewed
We present the implementation of a combined digital scanned light-sheet microscope (DSLM) able to work in the linear and nonlinear regimes under either Gaussian or Bessel beam excitation schemes. A complete characterization of the setup is performed and a comparison of the performance of each DSLM imaging modality is presented using in vivoCaenorhabditis elegans samples. We found that the use of Bessel beam nonlinear excitation results in better image contrast over a wider field of view. ; This work is supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya grant 2009-SGR-159, the Spanish government grants TEC2009-09698 and SAF2008-00211, the EU project STELUM (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-3-1-IAPP, 217997), the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Sinergia project grant CRSII3_125447, the FP7-NMP VIBRANT project grant CP-IP 228933-2, the NoE P4L and Laserlab optobio. Jacob Licea-Rodriguez acknowledges CONACYT Mexico for supporting his stay at ICFO through a mixed fellowship. This research has been partially supported by Fundació Cellex Barcelona and was mainly conducted at ICFO's "Super-Resolution Light Microscopy and Nanoscopy Facility"
