title: Sensitivity enhancement of photothermal microscopy with radially segmented balanced detection.
abstract: A novel detection method is proposed for highly sensitive photothermal microscopic imaging. This method is based on the characteristics of an angular-dependent photothermal signal; it improves signal intensity by up to two times and rejects the intensity noise of the probe beam. The subdiffraction resolution photothermal imaging of mouse skin melanoma is demonstrated using a laser diode-based photothermal microscopy system to evaluate this method. We confirm that the signal intensity is enhanced 1.7 times compared with the conventional detection method. Moreover, the intensity noise of the laser diode used for the probe beam is effectively reduced by approximately 31 dB, even for a sample with non-uniformity of the refractive index and stationary absorption. This method is implemented by means of a commonly used balanced detector and is thus potentially useful for high-speed imaging.
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Miyazaki
authors: Hiromichi
authors: H
authors: Tsurui
authors: Koshi
authors: K
authors: Kawasumi
authors: Takayoshi
authors: T
authors: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008546:Melanoma, Experimental / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D055620:Optical Phenomena; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio