{
  "abstract": "Wide-field mid-infrared photothermal (MIP) imaging enables high-speed, chemically specific imaging at sub-micrometer spatial resolution through several possible contrast mechanisms, including scattering change, fluorescence modulation, and phase change. Each mechanism offers distinct advantages, yet existing wide-field MIP instruments have typically been limited to a single contrast mechanism so far, requiring a dedicated instrument for each. Here, we introduce a switchable multi-contrast wide-field MIP microscope that allows the photothermal readout mechanism (based on scattering-, fluorescence-, or quantitative phase imaging (QPI)) to be matched to the sample and imaging conditions. We characterize the spectral fidelity and signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio of each mechanism using 5 μm polystyrene (PS) beads, and the effective spatial resolution using 300 nm PS beads. Scattering- and fluorescence-based detection achieved a sub-500 nm measured point spread function full width at half maximum, while QPI-based detection reached approximately 900 nm but provided up to 26-fold higher SNR than scattering. We further demonstrate imaging across a range of samples, including A549 cells in buffer, mouse lung tissue section, bacteria, and SU8 polymer at 1.4 and 5 μm thickness, with a field of view exceeding 200 μm. Comparison across these samples shows that each contrast mechanism offers distinct trade-offs in resolution, sensitivity, and applicability, guiding readout-strategy selection by sample type. These results establish a flexible, switchable multi-contrast platform for wide-field MIP imaging, with broad applicability across polymer and biological samples.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.18376",
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Anooj Thayyil Raveendran"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cornelia Reuter"
    },
    {
      "name": "Samir F. El-Mashtoly"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jürgen Popp"
    },
    {
      "name": "Christoph Kraft"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/372bnz15qemdj.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.18376",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "372bnz15qemdj",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.18376",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.bio-ph"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.chem-ph"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.ins-det"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.optics"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1304|Spectroscopy Techniques in Biomedical and Chemical Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213502976",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.18376",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-16",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/372bnz15qemdj.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:01Z",
      "native_id": "2609.18376",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.18376"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.chem-ph",
      "subfield": "physical"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.ins-det",
      "subfield": "applied-instrumentation"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.bio-ph",
      "subfield": "biological-medical"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.optics",
      "subfield": "optics-photonics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Multi-contrast wide-field mid-infrared photothermal imaging",
  "title_text": "Multi-contrast wide-field mid-infrared photothermal imaging",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:22:01Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/372bnz15qemdj",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}