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Measurements based on optical microscopy can be severely impaired if the access exhibits variations of the refractive index. In the case of fluctuating liquid-gas boundaries, refraction introduces dynamical aberrations that increase the measurement uncertainty. This is prevalent at multiphase flows (e. g. droplets, film flows) that occur in many technical applications as for example in coating and cleaning processes and the water management in fuel cells. In this paper, we present a novel approach based on adaptive optics for correcting the dynamical aberrations in real time and thus reducing the measurement uncertainty. The shape of the fluctuating water-air interface is sampled with a reflecting light beam (Fresnel Guide Star) and a Hartmann-Shack sensor which makes it possible to correct its influence with a deformable mirror in a closed loop. Three-dimensional flow measurements are achieved by using a double-helix point spread function. We measure the flow inside a sessile, oscillating 50-μl droplet on an opaque gas diffusion layer for fuel cells and show that the temporally varying refraction at the droplet surface causes a systematic underestimation of the flow field magnitude corresponding to the first droplet eigenmode which plays a major role in their detachment mechanism. We demonstrate that the adaptive optics correction is able to reduce this systematic error. Hence, the adaptive optics system can pave the way to a deeper understanding of water droplet formation and detachment which can help to improve the efficiency of fuels cells.

The precise estimation of fluid motion is critical across various fields, including aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, and industrial fluid mechanics. However, refraction at complex interfaces in the light path can cause image deterioration and lead to severe measurement errors if the aberration changes with time, e.g., at fluctuating air–water interfaces. This challenge is particularly pronounced in technical energy conversion processes such as bubble formation in electrolysis, droplet formation in fuel cells, or film flows. In this paper, a flow field estimation algorithm that can perform the aberration correction function is proposed, which integrates the flow field distribution estimation algorithm based on the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique and the novel actuator-free adaptive optics technique. Two different multi-input convolutional neural network (CNN) structures are established, with two frames of distorted PIV images and measured wavefront distortion information as inputs. The corrected flow field results are directly output, which are divided into two types based on different network structures: dense estimation and sparse estimation. Based on a series of models, a corresponding dataset synthesis model is established to generate training datasets. Finally, the algorithm performance is evaluated from different perspectives. Compared with traditional algorithms, the two proposed algorithms achieves reductions in the root mean square value of velocity residual error by 84% and 89%, respectively. By integrating both flow field measurement and novel adaptive optics technique into deep CNNs, this method lays a foundation for future research aimed at exploring more intricate distortion phenomena in flow field measurement.

Scientific and technical progress is driven particularly by the ability to “look” into new areas [...]

Abstract Catalytic microswimmers that move by a phoretic mechanism in response to a self‐induced chemical gradient are often obtained by the design of spherical janus microparticles, which suffer from multi‐step fabrication and low yields. Approaches that circumvent laborious multi‐step fabrication include the exploitation of the possibility of nonuniform catalytic activity along the surface of irregular particle shapes, local excitation or intrinsic asymmetry. Unfortunately, the effects on the generation of motion remain poorly understood. In this work, single crystalline BiVO4 microswimmers are presented that rely on a strict inherent asymmetry of charge‐carrier distribution under illumination. The origin of the asymmetrical flow pattern is elucidated because of the high spatial resolution of measured flow fields around pinned BiVO4 colloids. As a result the flow from oxidative to reductive particle sides is confirmed. Distribution of oxidation and reduction reactions suggests a dominant self‐electrophoretic motion mechanism with a source quadrupole as the origin of the induced flows. It is shown that the symmetry of the flow fields is broken by self‐shadowing of the particles and synthetic surface defects that impact the photocatalytic activity of the microswimmers. The results demonstrate the complexity of symmetry breaking in nonspherical microswimmers and emphasize the role of self‐shadowing for photocatalytic microswimmers. The findings are leading the way toward understanding of propulsion mechanisms of phoretic colloids of various shapes.

Liquid metal convection plays an important role in natural and technical processes. In experimental studies, an instrumentation with a sub-millimeter spatial resolution is required in an opaque fluid to resolve the flow field near the boundary layer. Using ultrasound methods, the trade-off between the frequency and imaging depth of typical laboratory experiments limits the spatial resolution. Therefore, the method of ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) was introduced in liquid metal experiments for the first time in this study. To isolate the intrinsic scattering particles, an adaptive nonlinear beamformer was applied. As a result, an average spatial resolution of 188 μm could be achieved, which corresponded to a fraction of the ultrasound wavelength of 0.28. A convection experiment was measured using ULM. Due to the increased spatial resolution, the high-velocity gradients and the recirculation areas of a liquid metal convection experiment could be observed for the first time. The presented technique paves the way for in-depth flow studies of convective turbulent liquid metal flows that are close to the boundary layer.

Optogenetics is a versatile toolset for the functional investigation of excitable cells such as neurons and cardiomyocytes in vivo and in vitro. While monochromatic illumination of these cells for either stimulation or inhibition already enables a wide range of studies, the combination of activation and silencing in one setup facilitates new experimental interrogation protocols. In this work, we present a setup for the simultaneous holographic stimulation and inhibition of multiple cells in vitro. The system is based on two fast ferroelectric liquid crystal spatial light modulators with frame rates of up to 1.7 kHz. Thereby, we are able to illuminate up to about 50 single spots with better than cellular resolution and without crosstalk, perfectly suited for refined network analysis schemes. System-inherent aberrations are corrected by applying an iterative optimization scheme based on Zernike polynomials. These are superposed on the same spatial light modulators that display the pattern-generating holograms, hence no further adaptive optical elements are needed for aberration correction. A near-diffraction-limited spatial resolution is achieved over the whole field of view, enabling subcellular optogenetic experiments by just choosing an appropriate microscope objective. The setup can pave the way for a multitude of optogenetic experiments, in particular with cardiomyocytes and neural networks.

Interferometric velocity measurements are of great importance at flow investigations. However, the laser beams can be distorted at the interfaces between optical media of different refractive indices. Temporal fluctuations of these distortions will cause a deterioration of the laser interferometer signals. We have harnessed the power of programmable photonics devices to eliminate this signal deterioration. Non-invasive flow velocity measurements through a rapidly fluctuating media interface with large strokes of about 100 microns are presented. Our work represents a paradigm shift for interferometric velocity measurement techniques from using static to dynamic optical elements.

This paper presents the measurement of flow rate inside a microchannel by using a laser Doppler technique. For this application a novel laser Doppler velocity profile sensor has been developed. Instead of parallel fringe systems, two superposed fan-like fringe systems with opposite gradients are employed to determine the velocity distribution inside the microchannel directly. The sensor utilizes the time division multiplexing technique to discriminate both fringe systems. A velocity uncertainty of 0.18% and a spatial resolution of 960 nm are demonstrated in the flow, which is the highest spatially resolved measurement by a laser Doppler technique published to date. Flow rate measurements, in the range of 30 ul min[?]1, with a statistical uncertainty of 5 x 10[?]4 are further presented. In comparison to a reference, by precise weighing, the mean deviation between both measurement principles amounts to 1%. With the advantage of high spatial resolution with simultaneous low velocity uncertainty, the laser Doppler velocity profile sensor offers a new tool for microfluidic diagnostics, e.g. in lab-on-a-chip systems or for drug delivery, which requires very small flow rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]