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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 13: Posters: Biological Membranes
BP 13.10: Poster
Monday, March 14, 2011, 17:15–20:00, P3
Biophysical applications of Brewster angle microscopy and imaging ellipsometry - an overview — •Peter H. Thiesen1, Dirk Hönig1, and Michael Howland2 — 1Accurion GmbH, Stresemannstr. 30, 37079 Göttingen — 2UC Davis, USA
Ellipsometry is a very sensitive optical method, which has been used for about a hundred years to derive information about surfaces. It makes use of the fact that the polarization state of light may change when the light beam is reflected from a surface. If the surface is covered by a thin film (or a stack of films), the entire optical system of film & substrate influences the change in polarization. It is therefore possible to deduce information about the film properties, especially the film thickness. By using imaging technology, one can extend the classical ellipsometer to a new form of visualization tool or a microscope with extreme sensitivity to thin films. The following examples give an idea about the capability of imaging ellipsometry in the field of lipid layers. One focus will be the current developement in Brewster angle microscopy.