Electronic speckle pattern interferometry for vitality tests in life science

This thesis focuses on the vitality analysis of single cells with the help of an optical measurement system. The Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) is an optical measurement method utilising an illuminated optical surface to create a Speckle or Speckle Pattern from a monochromatic light source. A Speckle Pattern is unique to its emitted surface and therefore rich on information about the surface. In addition, it can be used to analyse and classify microscopic specimen and even microscopic biological samples like cells. Its use to classify biological cells is still at a basic stage of research and many questions are still to be answered. This thesis focuses on the development of such a Micro-ESPI optical measurement system as well as on it’s application on biological cells in terms of the analysis and classification of cell vitality related to cell surface, cell death and general cell movement. Such Mico-ESPI device allows a new kind of non-invasive and non-destructive experimental approach towards the investigation of microscopic biological (cell) samples under real life conditions in aqueous solutions at highest magnifications up to 1000x.