Preview

Prototype of a Digital Holographic Microscope for Studying Marine Plankton

https://doi.org/10.21122/2220-9506-2025-16-3-185-190

Abstract

Marine plankton is a key component of aquatic ecosystems. Development of modern and accessible tools for studying planktonic organisms is a relevant and important task. Aim of the study was to develop a device that would be highly accessible and useful for researchers of marine plankton. A prototype of a lensless microscope with an original design that utilizes digital holographic microscopy to visualize marine plankton is presented. Combination of an FDM-manufactured frame, a minimal set of optical and electronic components, and the ability to use open-source software makes it a viable alternative to conventional microscopes for studying planktonic organisms. The device is designed to work with both standard microscope slides and a flow cell, enabling automated sample processing and rapid analysis while, preserving the sample for subsequent conservation and in-depth examination using standard methods.

About the Authors

A. P. Khurchak
Marine Hydrophysical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation

Kapitanskaya str., 2,
Sevastopol 299011



A. I. Khurchak
A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation

Address for correspondence:
Khurchak A.I. - 
Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of the RAN,
Nakhimov Ave., 2,
Sevastopol 299011,
Russia

e-mail: alenakhurchak@ibss-ras.ru



References

1. Kim M. K. Digital Holographic Microscopy. Springer Series in Optical Sciences (2011). DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-7793-9

2. Gabor D. A New Microscopic Principle. Nature, 1948;161(4098):777-778. DOI: 10.1038/161777a0

3. Erickson J. S., Hashemi N., Sullivan J. M., Weidemann A. D., Ligler F. S. In Situ Phytoplankton Analysis: There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom. Analytical Chemistry. 2011;84(2):839-850. DOI: 10.1021/ac201623k

4. Ferraro P., Wax A., Zalevsky Z. Coherent Light Microscopy. SpringerSeries in Surface Sciences. 2011. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-15813-1

5. Dyomin V., Polovtsev I., Davydova A., Kirillov N. Spectroscopic Aspects of Underwater Digital Holography of Plankton. Scientific Reports. 2025;(15):1884.

6. Dyomin V. V. [et al.]. Plankton Concentration Model Consistent with Natural Events and Monitoring Series of Holographic Measurements. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2025;(13):140.

7. Dyomin V. V. [et al.]. Calibration for the magnification of a submersible digital holographic camera during the study of particles in natural conditions. Applied Optics. 2025;64(7):49-57.

8. Dyomin V. V. [et al.]. Monitoring Bioindication of Plankton through the Analysis of the Fourier Spectra of the Underwater Digital Holographic Sensor Data. Sensors. 2024;24(7):2370.

9. Garcia-Sucerquia J. [et al.]. Digital in-line holographic microscopy. Applied Optics. 2006;45:836-850. DOI: 10.1364/ao.45.000836

10. Schneider C.A., Rasband W.S., Eliceiri K.W. NIH Image to ImageJ: 25 years of image analysis. Nat. Methods. 2012;9:671–675. DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.2089

11. Piedrahita-Quintero P., Castañeda R., GarciaSucerquia J. Numerical wave propagation in ImageJ. Applied Optics. 2015;54(21):6410-5. DOI: 10.1364/AO.54.006410

12. Shybanov E. B., Lee M. E., Berthon J-F., Zibordi G. Intensification of light scattering as a result of mixing of pure waters with different densities. Physical Oceanography. 2011;21(4):254-260. DOI: 10.1007/s11110-011-9120-8

13. Latychevskaia T., Fink H.–W. Practical algorithms for simulation and reconstruction of digital in-line holograms. Applied Optics. 2015;54(9):2424. DOI: 10.1364/ao.54.002424


Review

For citations:


Khurchak A.P., Khurchak A.I. Prototype of a Digital Holographic Microscope for Studying Marine Plankton. Devices and Methods of Measurements. 2025;16(3):185-190. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.21122/2220-9506-2025-16-3-185-190

Views: 26


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.


ISSN 2220-9506 (Print)
ISSN 2414-0473 (Online)