A Submersible Holographic Microscope for 4-D In-Situ Studies of Micro-Organisms in the Ocean with Intensity and Quantitative Phase Imaging

Lina M. Rotermund, John Samson

Abstract

Digital holographic reconstructions yield the complex wave amplitude throughout a 3-D volume from which intensity and quantitative phase images can be obtained. A submersible digital holographic microscope with a point source has been used to demonstrate the feasibility of continuous monitoring of micro-organisms such as algae at any depth in oceans, lakes and rivers. The local refractive index can be obtained throughout the organisms. A tracking algorithm is used to study their mobility.