Fast three-dimensional imaging of gold nanoparticles in living cells with photothermal optical lock-in Optical Coherence Microscopy

We introduce photothermal optical lock-in Optical Coherence Microscopy (poli-OCM), a volumetric imaging technique, which combines the depth sectioning of OCM with the high sensitivity of photothermal microscopy while maintaining the fast acquisition speed inherent to OCM. We report on the detection of single 40 nm gold particles with a 0.5 μm lateral and 2 μm axial resolution over a 50 μm depth of field and the three-dimensional localization of gold colloids within living cells. In combination with intrinsic sample contrast measured with dark-field OCM, poli-OCM offers a versatile platform for functional cell imaging. © 2012 Optical Society of America.