Abstract
Wave-based optical elastography is rapidly emerging as a powerful technique for quantifying tissue biomechanical properties due to its noninvasive nature and high displacement sensitivity. However, current approaches are limited in their ability to produce high-frequency waves and highly localized mechanical stress. In this Letter, we demonstrate that the rapid liquid-to-gas phase transition of dye-loaded perfluorocarbon nanodroplets (“nanobombs”) initiated by a pulsed laser can produce highly localized, high-frequency, and broadband elastic waves. The waves were detected by an ultra-fast line-field low-coherence holography system. For comparison, we also excited waves using a focused micro-air-pulse. Results from tissue-mimicking phantoms showed that the nanobombs produced elastic waves with frequencies up to ~9 kHz, which was much greater than the ~2 kHz waves excited by the air-pulse. Consequently, the nanobombs enabled more accurate quantification of sample viscoelasticity. Combined with their potential for functionalization, the nanobombs show promise for accurate and highly specific noncontact all-optical elastography.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2006-2009 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Optics Letters |
Volume | 43 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1 2018 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics