4D Microscopy of biological materials by short pulse terahertz sources (MIMOSA)

Research Project, 2022 – 2026

Cryo-electron microscopy and tomography have been among the greatest achievements in biological imaging, but these techniques suffer from insufficient chemical resolution.
The ultimate goal of MIMOSA is to provide an alternative to tomography at the nanoscale with a high chemical resolution for biological and medical systems, based on Tomographic Atom Probe (TAP).
MIMOSA aims to prototype a new TAP triggered by intense terahertz (THz) pulses that are stable at high repetition rates and exhibit versatile and tailored properties.
MIMOSA relies on the integration of trans-disciplinary fields in bio-imaging, optics, ultrafast lasers and intense THz sources, big-data treatment and physics of the interaction between THz waves and matter.
MIMOSA aims to prototype in parallel an efficient intense THz source based on a new technology with ultrafast high-energy fiber lasers. This source can be used in nano-tomography for biological and medical applications but also as a test platform for a foreseeable commercialization of the THz-triggered TAP.
The MIMOSA team members are leaders in TAP development, 3D medical and bio-imaging, ultrafast lasers development with advanced techniques for shaping and control of the optical beam’s properties and theoretical physics. With MIMOSA we are uniquely positioned to succeed and to raise the competitiveness of Europe in microscopy development on the international scene.