Mie scattering characterization by ultra-spectral illumination using micro-sized tunable liquid crystal optical filters

Abstract

We developed a confocal microscope and ultra-spectral light source containing Liquid Crystal Arrayed Microcavities (LCAM) as a new technology for controlled ultra-narrow optical filtering (FWHM ∼0.1 nm). LCAMs use picoliter volume Fabry–Perot-type optical cavities filled with liquid crystal for wavelength tuning. With sub-nanometer spectral resolution, we measured spectral resonance from scattering particles to validate the measurements with simulation results. We measured chicken liver and breast muscle, pig skin and muscle and compared with results from literature. The main application is the estimation of nuclear size in biological tissues for noninvasive assessment equivalent to histopathology.