Live cell imaging of Physcomitrella patens using a multi-modal digital holographic microscope

Fluorescent imaging and phase contrast imaging are two major techniques for live cell studies. One can obtain those two types of images by switching illumination and filter sets, and this process usually consumes unnecessary time. In order to image dynamical cell behaviors, we have presented a multi- modal digital holographic microscopic method to obtain both quantitative phase images and fluorescent images at the same time. We used Physcomitrella patens the moss to test the proposed system. Two-dimensional images of chloroplasts and quantitative phase information were obtained simultaneously under continuous exposure of laser light. We observed shrinkage in cell size and concentration in the chloroplasts distribution.