CELS-3D-Cutting edge light source for exciting fluorescence in microtome-based 3D microscopy and targeted correlative microscopy.

We discovered that the light entering a triangular ultramicrotome glass knife from the bottom exits the knife through its cutting edge, forming an oblique light sheet illumination suitable for imaging. We adopted this light sheet for side illumination of the sample blocks during sectioning on the ultramicrotome, for 3D imaging, and for targeting fluorescent features for confocal-, electron- and correlative microscopy. In this paper, we present a working prototype named CELS-3D (Cutting Edge Light Source, Three-Dimensional), a microscope mounted on an ultramicrotome.

Characterisation of a micrometer-scale active plasmonic element by means of complementary computational and experimental methods.

In this article, we investigate an active plasmonic element which will act as the key building block for future photonic devices. This element operates by modulating optical constants in a localised fashion, thereby providing an external control over the strength of the electromagnetic near field above the element as well as its far-field response. A dual experimental approach is employed in tandem with computational methods to characterise the response of this system.

Propagating Surface Plasmon Polaritons on Systems with Variable Periodicity and Variable Gap-Depth.

Here we report on both simulations and experimental results on propagation and transmission of Surface Plasmon Polaritons (SPPs) through tunable gaps which were initially motivated by excitation of SPPs on a periodic arrangement of nanowires with mechanically tuneable periodicity. The general ability to vary the two-dimensional lattice constant results in an additional degree of freedom, permitting excitation of SPP's for any combination of wavelength and angle of incidence within the tuning range of the system. Fabrication of the tunable system includes a transition from a continuously metal coated surface to small metal ribbons which can be separated from each other as a result of mechanical strain applied to the flexible PDMS substrate.