Work Group 4: Correlative & Comparative Methods 

Our main aim is to exploit the potential of correlative studies, combining Brillouin Light Scattering Spectroscopy (BLSS) with other imaging/detection modalities, to open new frontiers for biological and biomedical research and applications.

The viscoelastic characterization provided by BLSS will be complemented with information of molecular constituents and morphological structure obtained by other optical techniques (Raman, CARS, Fluorescence, SHG, etc.), other functional imaging modalities, as well as surface/cavity enhancement effects. This approach is expected to unveil the underlying origin of the measured mechanical properties, going beyond the mere mechanical characterization, and towards a more complete structure-function-behavior description of biological matter.

Furthermore, to calculate viscoelastic moduli, knowledge of the refractive index and the density in the probed volume is required, which will be inferred from parallel or sequential measurements using e.g. phase contrast techniques or fluorescence lifetime techniques.

Finally, since BLSS measures viscoelastic parameters in the high-frequency regime, direct comparisons to techniques which measure the low-frequency elastic properties is nontrivial and material dependent (an inherent problem of viscoelastic materials). Comparative studies of the frequency scaling of viscoelasticity will thus prove insightful for understanding how materials behave across different frequency regimes.

Work Group Leader:
Prof Daniele Fioretto
University of Perugia, Italy
(daniele.fioretto[at]unipg.it)