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The quantification of collagen fibril size is a major issue for the investigation of pathological disorders associated with structural defects of the extracellular matrix. Second-harmonic generation microscopy is a powerful technique to characterize the macromolecular organization of collagen in unstained biological tissues. Nevertheless, due to the complex coherent building of this nonlinear optical signal, it has never been used to measure fibril diameter so far. Here we report absolute measurements of second-harmonic signals from isolated fibrils down to 30 nm diameter, via implementation of correlative second-harmonic-electron microscopy. Moreover, using analytical and numerical calculations, we demonstrate that the high sensitivity of this technique originates from the parallel alignment of collagen triple helices within fibrils and the subsequent constructive interferences of second-harmonic radiations. Finally, we use these absolute measurements as a calibration for ex vivo quantification of fibril diameter in the Descemet’s membrane of a diabetic rat cornea. Quantitative determination of collagen fibril size is important for investigating pathological disorders of the extracellular matrix. Here, the authors show that SHG microscopy is capable of measuring fibril diameter after calibration of SHG radiation using correlation to electron microscopy.

Precise control of particle positioning is desirable in many optical propulsion and sorting applications. Here, we develop an integrated platform for particle manipulation consisting of a combined optical nanofiber and optical tweezers system. We show that consistent and reversible transmission modulations arise when individual silica microspheres are introduced to the nanofiber surface using the optical tweezers. The observed transmission changes depend on both particle and fiber diameter and can be used as a reference point for in situ nanofiber or particle size measurement. Thence, we combine scanning electron microscope (SEM) size measurements with nanofiber transmission data to provide calibration for particle-based fiber assessment. This integrated optical platform provides a method for selective evanescent field manipulation of micron-sized particles and facilitates studies of optical binding and light-particle interaction dynamics.

Optical manipulation in the vicinity of optical micro- and nanofibres has shown potential across several fields in recent years, including microparticle control and cold atom probing and trapping. To date, most work has focussed on the propagation of the fundamental mode through the fibre. However, along the maximum mode intensity axis, higher order modes have a longer evanescent field extension and larger field amplitude at the fibre waist compared to the fundamental mode, opening up new possibilities for optical manipulation and particle trapping. We demonstrate a microfibre/optical tweezers compact system for trapping and propelling dielectric particles based on the excitation of the first group of higher order modes at the fibre waist. Speed enhancement of polystyrene particle propulsion was observed for the higher order modes compared to the fundamental mode for particles ranging from 1 μm to 5 μm in diameter. The optical propelling velocity of a single, 3 μm polystyrene particle was found to be 8 times faster under the higher order mode than the fundamental mode field for a waist power of 25 mW. Experimental data are supported by theoretical calculations. This work can be extended to trapping and manipulation of laser-cooled atoms with potential for quantum networks.

We continuously monitored the microstructure of a rat-tail tendon during stretch/relaxation cycles. To that purpose, we implemented a new biomechanical device that combined SHG imaging and mechanical testing modalities. This multi-scale experimental device enabled simultaneous visualization of the collagen crimp morphology at the micrometer scale and measurement of macroscopic strain–stress response. We gradually increased the ultimate strain of the cycles and showed that preconditioning mostly occurs in the first stretching. This is accompanied by an increase of the crimp period in the SHG image. Our results indicate that preconditioning is due to a sliding of microstructures at the scale of a few fibrils and smaller, that changes the resting length of the fascicle. This sliding can reverse on long time scales. These results provide a proof of concept that continuous SHG imaging performed simultaneously with mechanical assay allows analysis of the relationship between macroscopic response and microscopic structure of tissues.

Multimode fibers (MMF) are used in many applications from telecomunications to minimally invasive micro-endoscopic imaging. However, the numerous modes and their coupling make light-beam control and imaging a delicate task. To circumvent this difficulty, recent methods exploit priors about the transmission of the system, such as the so-called optical memory effect. Here, we quantitatively characterize a chromato-axial memory effect in step-index MMF, characterized through its slope \\( z/ \\) and its spectral and axial widths. We propose a theoretical model and numerical simulations in good agreement with experimental observations.

The evanescent field of an optical nanofiber presents a versatile interface for the manipulation of micron-scale particles in dispersion. Here, we present a detailed study of the optical binding interactions of a pair of 3.13 \\(\\)m SiO\\(_2\\) particles in the nanofiber evanescent field. Preferred equilibrium positions for the spheres as a function of nanofiber diameter and sphere size are discussed. We demonstrated optical propulsion and self-arrangement of chains of one to seven 3.13 \\(\\)m SiO\\(_2\\) particles; this effect is associated with optical binding via simulated trends of multiple scattering effects. Incorporating an optical nanofiber into an optical tweezers setup facilitated the individual and collective introduction of selected particles to the nanofiber evanescent field for experiments. Computational simulations provide insight into the dynamics behind the observed behavior.

Optical manipulation in the vicinity of optical micro- and nanofibres has shown potential across several fields in recent years, including microparticle control, and cold atom probing and trapping. To date, most work has focussed on propagation of the fundamental mode through the fibre. However, along the maximum mode intensity axis, higher order modes have a longer evanescent field extension and larger field amplitude at the fibre waist compared to the fundamental mode, opening up new possibilities for optical manipulation and particle trapping. In this work, we demonstrate a microfibre/optical tweezers compact system for trapping and propelling dielectric particles based on the excitation of the first group of higher order modes at the fibre waist. Single polystyrene particles were trapped and propelled in the evanescent fields of higher order and fundamental modes near the surface of microfibres. Speed enhancement of particle propulsion was observed for the higher order modes compared to the fundamental mode for particles ranging from 1 m to 5 m in diameter. The optical propelling velocity of a single, 3 m polystyrene particle was found to be 8 times faster under the higher order evanescent field than the fundamental mode field for a waist power of 25 mW. Experimental data and dynamic interactions between the evanescent field of these two different fibre modes and the particles are supported by theoretical calculations. This work can be extended to trapping and manipulation of laser-cooled atoms for quantum networks.

Precise control of particle positioning is desirable in many optical propulsion and sorting applications. Here, we develop an integrated platform for particle manipulation consisting of a combined optical nanofiber and optical tweezers system. Individual silica microspheres were introduced to the nanofiber at arbitrary points using the optical tweezers, thereby producing pronounced dips in the fiber transmission. We show that such consistent and reversible transmission modulations depend on both particle and fiber diameter, and may be used as a reference point for in-situ nanofiber or particle size measurement. Therefore we combine SEM size measurements with nanofiber transmission data to provide calibration for particle-based fiber assessment. We also demonstrate how the optical tweezers can be used to create a particle jet to feed a supply of microspheres to the nanofiber surface, forming a particle conveyor belt. This integrated optical platform provides a method for selective evanescent field manipulation of micron-sized particles and facilitates studies of optical binding and light-particle interaction dynamics.

Precise control of particle positioning is desirable in many optical propulsion and sorting applications. Here, we develop an integrated platform for particle manipulation consisting of a combined optical nanofibre and optical tweezers system. Individual silica microspheres were introduced to the nanofibre at arbitrary points using the optical tweezers, thereby producing pronounced dips in the fibre transmission. We show that such consistent and reversible transmission modulations depend on both particle and fibre diameter, and can be used as a reference point for in situ nanofibre or particle size measurement. Thence, we combine scanning electron microscope (SEM) size measurements with nanofibre transmission data to provide calibration for particle-based fibre assessment. This integrated optical platform provides a method for selective evanescent field manipulation of micron-sized particles and facilitates studies of optical binding and light-particle interaction dynamics.