Scientists at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology have developed a new cell imaging technology.
While optical microscopy uses visible light to display surface features such as colorand structure, chemical imaging uses invisible infrared light to reveal the inner workings of a sample, explainScientists.
When the cell is exposedIR radiation, its temperature rises and it expands. At the same time, each type of molecule absorbs infrared light with a slightly different wavelength and emits unique chemical signatures. Studying absorption patterns—a technique called spectroscopy—allows researchers to pinpoint the exact location of each one.
Traditional approaches to quality improvementSpectrometry has focused on steadily increasing the power of the original IR wavelengths. But as power increases, noise also increases, which prevents the creation of a clear image, the authors of the new technology say. It's like a fuzzy tuned radio: by turning up the volume, the listener also turns up the noise.
Instead of increasing signal strength,scientists focused on getting rid of the noise. They developed a sensor that separates the IR signal from the motion of the detector, allowing it to be amplified without adding noise. The study showed that the developed sensor improves the signal-to-noise ratio by about 24 times compared to current technologies.
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