Direct observation of dynamic heterogeneity by fluctuation microscopy

Abstract

Conventional optical microscopes visualize spatial changes in the refractive index caused by density, concentration, orientation, etc. as a two-dimensional image. In contrast, the fluctuation microscope we are developing is a new microscope that directly visualizes "dynamic inhomogeneity," which indicates spatial changes in the mobility of internal degrees of freedom. In this report, we present the results of measurements of model liquid crystal materials using the fluctuation microscope.