Optical sectioning in optical resolution photo acoustic microscopy

International audienceWe report a novel optical resolution photoacoustic microscopy concept to obtain an axial resolution only by optical methods. The photoacoustic signal is generated through a non-radiative relaxation from a level that is populated by excited state absorption. This two-step excitation process of a single laser enables to achieve an optical sectioning without any acoustic selectivity, whereby a full optical resolution photoacoustic microscopy is obtained. We bring a proof of this concept using Rhodamine and Zinc Tetraphenylporphyrin dyes known for their efficient excited state absorption process.In vivo sub-femtoliter resolution photoacoustic microscopy with higher frame rates," Sci. Rep. 5, 15421 (2015). 13. Y. Yamaoka, M. Nambu, and T. Takamatsu, "Fine depth resolution of two-photon absorption-induced photoacoustic microscopy using low-frequency bandpass filtering," Opt