YAG : R3+ (R = Ce, Dy, Yb) nanophosphor-based luminescent fibre-optic sensors for temperature measurements in the range 20–500 °C

We report the development of a group of luminescent fibre-optic temperature sensors that use Ce3+-, Dy3+-, and Yb3+-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) nanophosphors as thermosensitive materials. The nanophosphors have been prepared in the form of powders with a crystallite size from 19 to 27 nm by a polymer ? salt method and exhibit bright luminescence at 550 (YAG : Ce3+), 400, 480 (YAG : Dy3+), and 1030 nm (YAG : Yb3+). The sensor design includes a silica capillary, partially filled with a nanophosphor, and two large-aperture multimode optical fibres located in the capillary, which deliver excitation light and receive and transmit the photoluminescence signal. The photoluminescence signal amplitude of all the sensors decreases exponentially with increasing temperature, pointing to characteristic thermal quenching of photoluminescence and adequate operation of the devices up to 500 °C. The highest temperature sensitivity among the fibre-optic sensors is offered by the YAG : Ce3+ nanophosphor-based devices.

Study of adsorption of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein by vibrational spectroscopy using terahertz metamaterials

Adhesion of the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is studied by vibrational spectroscopy using terahertz metamaterials. The features of metastructure absorption upon the deposition of histidine, albumin, and the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein films are investigated. An original technique for quantitative assessment of the efficiency of virus adhesion on the metamaterial surfaces are proposed and experimentally tested.

Influence of the measurement configuration on the results of Raman microspectroscopy of human hair

Increasing interest in spectroscopic studies of human hair raises the question about the accuracy of measurement of their spectra and requires optimisation of experimental facilities. An original method of obtaining transverse hair sections without using a microtome and chemical influence is proposed. The results obtained by confocal Raman microspectroscopy of human hair differently oriented with respect to the optical axis of the measuring setup are compared. It is shown that, in addition to expected changes in the spectra measured at different distances from the hair periphery in the direction to its centre, the spectra measured in the case of hair excitation perpendicular and parallel to its axis are also considerably different.

Melanin diagnostics with nonlinear optics: a mini-review

Optical methods are widely used to perform fundamental studies of living systems and solve problems of biomedical diagnostics. Along with the classical spectroscopy, methods of nonlinear optics (e.g., multiphoton microscopy) are also applied in biophotonics. The potential of nonlinear optical methods for visualisation and analysis of the properties of endogenous chromophore molecules are considered in this minireview. Melanin - a pigment with specific spectral features of photophysical properties in the visible and near-IR ranges - is taken as an example. It is discussed what information about its localisation in tissues and structural organisation can be obtained by nonlinear optical methods: multiphoton fluorescence microscopy (including fluorescence lifetime imaging), third harmonic generation, pump - probe spectroscopy, and coherent anti- Stokes Raman spectroscopy.

In vitro study of cataract extraction by bursts of microsecond 1.54-mm laser pulses

Laser extraction of a model porcine eye cataract has been performed for the first time in an in vitro experiment using a 1.54-μm Yb,Er : glass laser generating bursts of microsecond pulses. We used effective pulse repetition rates from 36 to 75 Hz and average laser output powers from 3.9 to 5.25 W. The results demonstrate for the first time that, at an effective pulse repetition rate of 45 Hz, burst repetition rate of 15 Hz, three microsecond pulses per burst, and a burst energy from 260 to 265 mJ, the laser step duration in cataract extraction is 130 plusmn; 10 s, which is comparable to the ultrasonic phacoemulsification and laser extraction time in the case of a Nd : YAG laser emitting at 1.44 μm. Acoustometry and high speed video recording of hydroacoustic processes accompanying interaction of water with 1.54-μm radiation from the Yb, Er : glass laser generating bursts of microsecond pulses have made it possible for the first time to detect overlap of hydroacoustic processes at the pulse spacing in bursts reduced to under 700 μs. In the case of overlap of hydroacoustic processes, despite the increase in average power and effective pulse repetition rate, acoustic wave generation is ineffective because pulses propagate through bubbles formed in the water. Laser cataract extraction is shown to be most effective at a lower average power, lower effective pulse repetition rate, and burst pulse spacing of 850 ± 10 μs.

Agar phantoms of biological tissue for fluorescence monitoring of photodynamic therapy

An approach to fabricating agar phantoms mimicking spectral optical properties of biological tissues with fluorescent inclusions is proposed, which allows one to imitate the problem of optical visualisation of superficial biological tissues after the administration of a chlorin-based photosensitiser. The different arrangement of a fluorescent layer within a phantom makes it possible to simulate biological tissue in the cases of both topical application and intravenous injection of a photosensitiser. It is shown that absorption and scattering spectra of phantoms are in good agreement with the spectra of real biological tissues in the wavelength range of 500-800 nm. Changes in spectra of absorption and scattering coefficients of phantoms, as well as in their fluorescent properties induced by the addition of a fluorescent marker (chlorinbased photosensitiser) are demonstrated.

Red blood cell in the field of a beam of optical tweezers

We consider the effect of a tightly focused laser beam with a wavelength of 1064 nm and a power from 10 to 160 mW on red blood cells during their optical trapping with optical tweezers. It is found that the shape of a red blood cell, which alters after optical trapping, ceases to change when the trapping duration is less than 5 min and the laser beam power is less than 60 mW. At a beam power above 80 mW, the red blood cell begins to fold at a trapping duration of about 1 min, and at powers above 100-150 mW, the red blood cell membrane ruptures in 1-3 min after optical trapping. It is also found that with repeated short-term capture of a red blood cell in an optical trap, the deformation properties of the membrane change: it becomes more rigid. The obtained results are important both for understanding the mechanisms of interaction of a laser beam with red blood cells and for optimising the technique of optical experiments, especially for measuring the deformation properties of a membrane using optical tweezers.

Inactivation of coronaviruses under irradiation by UVA-range light-emitting diodes

We report the results of the development of an experimental stand based on UVA light-emitting diodes (UVA LEDs) with radiation wavelengths of 385 and 395 nm for studying experimentally the inactivation of viruses of the coronavirus family, including SARS-CoV-2. Methodological grounds are presented for determining the inactivation dose that provides a predetermined decrease in the virus titre under the impact of UVA radiation. The effect of the diode radiation divergence on the virus photoinactivation process is investigated. It is shown that UVA LEDs can be used to reduce the virus titre by 4 orders of magnitude.

Age-related changes in the viscoelasticity of rabbit lens characterised by surface wave dispersion analysis

The viscoelastic properties of the young and mature rabbit lenses in situ are evaluated using wave-based optical coherence elastography (OCE). Surface waves in the crystalline lens are generated using acoustic radiation force (ARF) focused inside the eyeball. Surface-wave dispersion is measured with a phase-stabilised optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. The Young's modulus and shear viscosity coefficient are quantified based on a Scholte wave model. The results show that both elasticity and viscosity are significantly different between the young and mature lenses. The Young's modulus of the lenses increased with age from 7.74 ± 1.56 kPa (young) to 15.15 ± 4.52 kPa (mature), and the shear viscosity coefficient increased from 0.55 ± 0.04 Pa s (young) and 0.86 ± 0.13 Pa s (mature). It is shown that the combination of ARF excitation, OCE imaging, and dispersion analysis enables nondestructive quantification of lenticular viscoelasticity in situ and shows promise for in vivo applications.