ERI: RUI: Wavefront shaping through flexible multicore fiber bundles for coherent light focusing and imaging in neurophotonics

ERI：RUI：通过灵活的多芯光纤束进行波前整形，用于神经光子学中的相干光聚焦和成像

• 批准号: 2302023
• 负责人: Joshua Brake
• 金额: $ 17.39万
• 依托单位: Harvey Mudd College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-01 至 2025-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2302023&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: ERI; RUI; Wavefront; shaping; through

The goal of this Engineering Research Initiation(ERI) project is to develop an improved method of delivering light to the brain for imaging and stimulating brain activity. Light is a powerful tool for probing the brain and can be used to monitor the firing of neurons or directly activate neurons using optogenetics. Optical wavefront shaping techniques can enable deeper light penetration in the brain. However, these techniques are stymied because it is challenging to deliver the shaped light to the brain. This project addresses this challenge by developing a new system which leverages fiber bundles and optical wavefront shaping to reliably deliver shaped light to the brain, even when the fiber bundle is moving. The outcomes of the research will provide new tools for neuroscientists to deliver shaped light to the brain, enabling better experiments in the research laboratory and paving the way for future clinical applications. The broader impacts of the project include research opportunities for undergraduate students at Harvey Mudd, providing tightly integrated educational opportunities in scientific research methods, optical system design, and neurophotonics. In addition, the PI will develop new educational resources to broaden access to optics through wavefront shaping simulations in Python-based Jupyter notebooks and low-cost lab experiments exploring optical fibers and light matter interactions in scattering media. Multicore fibers offer an attractive way to deliver light to regions of interest in the brain but are challenging to use in practical applications due to core-dependent phase delays which are impacted by a variety of physical and environmental factors such as movement and temperature fluctuations. The project will address this challenge by developing methods to correct the phase distortion of the multicore fiber without requiring access to the distal end, enabling shaped wavefronts to be flexibly delivered into deep tissue even when the core-to-core phase delays are dynamically changing. The research plan is divided into two major tasks: (1) developing a low-coherence interferometry system to measure the phase distortion of the multicore fiber and characterizing key performance metrics such as temporal response and phase sensitivity and (2) using the low-coherence interferometry system with wavefront shaping to correct for the phase delay in the multicore fiber and create desired wavefronts beyond the distal tip of the fiber.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该工程研究启动 (ERI) 项目的目标是开发一种改进的方法，将光传输到大脑以进行成像和刺激大脑活动。光是探测大脑的强大工具，可用于监测神经元的放电或利用光遗传学直接激活神经元。光学波前整形技术可以使光更深入地穿透大脑。然而，这些技术受到阻碍，因为将成形光传递到大脑具有挑战性。该项目通过开发一种新系统来解决这一挑战，该系统利用光纤束和光学波前整形，即使在光纤束移动时也能可靠地将整形光传递到大脑。该研究成果将为神经科学家提供新工具，将成形光传递到大脑，从而在研究实验室中进行更好的实验，并为未来的临床应用铺平道路。该项目更广泛的影响包括为哈维穆德大学本科生提供研究机会，提供科学研究方法、光学系统设计和神经光子学方面紧密结合的教育机会。此外，PI 将开发新的教育资源，通过基于 Python 的 Jupyter 笔记本中的波前整形模拟以及探索散射介质中光纤和光物质相互作用的低成本实验室实验来扩大对光学的了解。多芯光纤提供了一种将光传输到大脑感兴趣区域的有吸引力的方法，但由于核心相关的相位延迟受到各种物理和环境因素（例如运动和温度波动）的影响，因此在实际应用中使用具有挑战性。该项目将通过开发方法来校正多芯光纤的相位失真而无需接近远端，从而解决这一挑战，即使在纤芯到纤芯相位延迟动态变化的情况下，也能够将成形波前灵活地传递到深层组织中。该研究计划分为两个主要任务：（1）开发低相干干涉测量系统来测量多芯光纤的相位失真并表征关键性能指标，例如时间响应和相位灵敏度；（2）使用低相干干涉测量系统具有波前整形功能的干涉测量系统，可校正多芯光纤中的相位延迟，并在光纤远端之外创建所需的波前。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和评估进行评估，被认为值得支持。更广泛的影响审查标准。