Enhanced Quantitative Wavefront Imaging for Nano-Object Characterization

Clémence Gentner (1) , Benoit Rogez (1, 2) , Hadrien M L Robert (1) , Anis Aggoun (1) , Gilles Tessier (1) , Pierre Bon (3) , Pascal Berto (1, 4, 5)

1 Institut de la Vision
2 L2n - Lumière, nanomatériaux et nanotechnologies
3 XLIM - XLIM
4 IUF - Institut universitaire de France
5 UPCité - Université Paris Cité

Quantitative phase imaging enables precise and label-free characterizations of individual nano-objects within a large volume, without a priori knowledge of the sample or imaging system. While emerging common path implementations are simple enough to promise a broad dissemination, their phase sensitivity still falls short of precisely estimating the mass or polarizability of vesicles, viruses, or nanoparticles in single-shot acquisitions. In this paper, we revisit the Zernike filtering concept, originally crafted for intensity-only detectors, with the aim of adapting it to wavefront imaging. We demonstrate, through numerical simulation and experiments based on high-resolution wavefront sensing, that a simple Fourier-plane add-on can significantly enhance phase sensitivity for subdiffraction objects─achieving over an order of magnitude increase (×12)─while allowing the quantitative retrieval of both intensity and phase. This advancement allows for more precise nano-object detection and metrology.

Mots clés: quantitative phase imaging; sensitivity increase; nanoparticles; scattering contrast; single nano-object metrology

Domaines: Physique [physics]

Clémence Gentner, Benoit Rogez, Hadrien M L Robert, Anis Aggoun, Gilles Tessier, et al.. Enhanced Quantitative Wavefront Imaging for Nano-Object Characterization. ACS Nano, 2024, Online ahead of print. ⟨10.1021/acsnano.4c05152⟩. ⟨hal-04644996⟩