title: Spectroscopic microscopy can quantify the statistics of subdiffractional refractive-index fluctuations in media with random rough surfaces.
abstract: We previously established that spectroscopic microscopy can quantify subdiffraction-scale refractive index (RI) fluctuations in a label-free dielectric medium with a smooth surface. However, to study more realistic samples, such as biological cells, the effect of rough surface should be considered. In this Letter, we first report an analytical theory to synthesize microscopic images of a rough surface, validate this theory by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) solutions of Maxwell's equations, and characterize the spectral properties of light reflected from a rough surface. Then, we report a technique to quantify the RI fluctuations beneath a rough surface and demonstrate its efficacy on FDTD-synthesized spectroscopic microscopy images, as well as experimental data obtained from biological cells.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lusik
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cherkezyan
authors.forename: Ilker
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Capoglu
authors.forename: Hariharan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chandler
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taflove
authors.forename: Vadim
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Backman
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry / Q000379:methods*; D012031:Refractometry / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D013499:Surface Properties