Biofilm formation and manipulation with optical tweezers.

Some bacterial species form biofilms in suboptimal growth and environmental conditions. Biofilm structures allow the cells not only to optimize growth with nutrient availability but also to defend each other against external stress, such as antibiotics. Medical and bioengineering implications of biofilms have led to an increased interest in the regulation of bacterial biofilm formation.

Conservation of orbital angular momentum and polarization through biological waveguides.

A major roadblock to the development of photonic sensors is the scattering associated with many biological systems. We show the conservation of photonic states through optically self-arranged biological waveguides, for the first time, which can be implemented to transmit light through scattering media. The conservation of optical properties of light through biological waveguides allows for the transmission of high bandwidth information with low loss through scattering media.

Nonlinear self-trapping and guiding of light at different wavelengths with sheep blood.

We demonstrate the formation of waveguides, a few centimeters long, in colloidal suspensions of sheep red blood cells for a wide range of wavelengths due to nonlinear self-trapping and self-guiding of a laser beam. The near infrared (NIR) light experiences a weaker nonlinear self-action and thus requires much higher power to obtain self-trapping as compared to visible light. To examine the waveguiding of light at different wavelengths, we utilize a pump-probe-type setting for beam coupling: a pump beam at a 532 nm wavelength is used to create a waveguide first, and then a probe beam with various wavelengths is sent through the waveguide channel.

TGFβ1 single-nucleotide polymorphism C-509T alters mucosal cell function in pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic Th2 antigen-driven disorder associated with tissue remodeling. Inflammation and remodeling lead to esophageal rigidity, strictures, and dysphagia. TGFβ1 drives esophageal remodeling including epithelial barrier dysfunction and subepithelial fibrosis.

Optical force-induced nonlinearity and self-guiding of light in human red blood cell suspensions.

Osmotic conditions play an important role in the cell properties of human red blood cells (RBCs), which are crucial for the pathological analysis of some blood diseases such as malaria. Over the past decades, numerous efforts have mainly focused on the study of the RBC biomechanical properties that arise from the unique deformability of erythrocytes. Here, we demonstrate nonlinear optical effects from human RBCs suspended in different osmotic solutions.

High Spatiotemporal Resolution Imaging with Localized Plasmonic Structured Illumination Microscopy.

Localized plasmonic structured illumination microscopy (LPSIM) provides multicolor wide-field super-resolution imaging with low phototoxicity and high-speed capability. LPSIM utilizes a nanoscale plasmonic antenna array to provide a series of tunable illumination patterns beyond the traditional diffraction limit, allowing for enhanced resolving powers down to a few tens of nanometers. Here, we demonstrate wide-field LPSIM with 50 nm spatial resolution at video rate speed by imaging microtubule dynamics with low illumination power intensity.

Nonlinear Self-Action of Light through Biological Suspensions.

It is commonly thought that biological media cannot exhibit an appreciable nonlinear optical response. We demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, a tunable optical nonlinearity in suspensions of cyanobacteria that leads to robust propagation and strong self-action of a light beam. By deliberately altering the host environment of the marine bacteria, we show experimentally that nonlinear interaction can result in either deep penetration or enhanced scattering of light through the bacterial suspension, while the viability of the cells remains intact.

Localized plasmonic structured illumination microscopy with an optically trapped microlens.

Localized plasmonic structured illumination microscopy (LPSIM) is a recently developed super resolution technique that demonstrates immense potential via arrays of localized plasmonic antennas. Microlens microscopy represents another distinct approach for improving resolution by introducing a spherical lens with a large refractive index to boost the effective numerical aperture of the imaging system. In this paper, we bridge together the LPSIM and optically trapped spherical microlenses, for the first time, to demonstrate a new super resolution technique for surface imaging.

Experimental Demonstration of Localized Plasmonic Structured Illumination Microscopy.

Super-resolution imaging methods such as structured illumination microscopy and others have offered various compromises between resolution, imaging speed, and biocompatibility. Here we experimentally demonstrate a physical mechanism for super-resolution that offers advantages over existing technologies. Using finely structured, resonant, and controllable near-field excitation from localized surface plasmons in a planar nanoantenna array, we achieve wide-field surface imaging with resolution down to 75 nm while maintaining reasonable speed and compatibility with biological specimens.

Optical disassembly of cellular clusters by tunable 'tug-of-war' tweezers.

Bacterial biofilms underlie many persistent infections, posing major hurdles in antibiotic treatment. Here we design and demonstrate 'tug-of-war' optical tweezers that can facilitate the assessment of cell-cell adhesion-a key contributing factor to biofilm development, thanks to the combined actions of optical scattering and gradient forces. With a customized optical landscape distinct from that of conventional tweezers, not only can such 'tug-of-war' tweezers stably trap and stretch a rod-shaped bacterium in the observing plane, but, more importantly, they can also impose a tunable lateral force that pulls apart cellular clusters without any tethering or mechanical movement.

Guiding and nonlinear coupling of light in plasmonic nanosuspensions.

We demonstrate two different types of coupled beam propagation dynamics in colloidal gold nanosuspensions. In the first case, an infrared (IR) probe beam (1064 nm) is guided by a low-power visible beam (532 nm) in a gold nanosphere or in nanorod suspensions due to the formation of a plasmonic resonant soliton. Although the IR beam does not experience nonlinear self-action effects, even at high power levels, needle-like deep penetration of both beams through otherwise highly dissipative suspensions is realized.

Observation of two-dimensional surface solitons.

We report the first experimental observation of two-dimensional surface solitons at the boundaries (edges or corners) of a finite optically induced photonic lattice. Both in-phase and gap nonlinear surface self-trapped states were observed under single-site excitation conditions. Our experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions.

Observation of topological transformations of optical vortices in two-dimensional photonic lattices.

We study interaction of a discrete vortex with a supporting photonic lattice and analyze how the combined action of the lattice periodicity and the medium nonlinearity can modify the vortex structure. In particular, we describe theoretically and observe in experiment, for the first time to our knowledge, the nontrivial topological transformations of the discrete vortex including the flipping of vortex charge and inversion of its orbital angular momentum. We also demonstrate the stabilizing effect of the interaction with the so-called "mixed" optically-induced photonic lattices on the vortex propagation and topological structure.

Self-trapping and flipping of double-charged vortices in optically induced photonic lattices.

We report what is believed to be the first observation of self-trapping and charge-flipping of double-charged optical vortices in two-dimensional photonic lattices. Both on- and off-site excitations lead to the formation of rotating quasi-vortex solitons, reversing the topological charges and the direction of rotation through a quadrupole-like transition state. Experimental results are corroborated with numerical simulations.

Dipole solitons in optically induced two-dimensional photonic lattices.

Dipole solitons in a two-dimensional optically induced photonic lattice are theoretically predicted and experimentally demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge. It is shown that such dipole solitons are stable and robust under appropriate conditions. Our experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions.

Observation of two-dimensional lattice vector solitons.

We demonstrate the formation of fundamental and dipolelike vector solitons in an optically induced two-dimensional photonic lattice. Such vector solitons are realized by mutual trapping of two beams in the lattice. Our theoretical results are in good agreement with experimental observations.

Anisotropic enhancement of discrete diffraction and formation of two-dimensional discrete-soliton trains.

We demonstrate anisotropic enhancement of discrete diffraction and formation of discrete-soliton trains in an optically induced photonic lattice. Such discrete behavior of light propagation was observed when a one-dimensional stripe beam was launched appropriately into a two-dimensional lattice created with partially coherent light. Our experimental results are corroborated with numerical simulations.