Development of a Scanning Photoacoustic Instrument with Microscopic Resolution for Studies of Leaf Structure-Function and Photosynthesis Within Tissues

我们建议开发一种新的光声仪器，具有微观空间分辨率和增强的灵敏度，从而允许第一时间测量氧气的演化，能量利用和能量耗散在个别叶肉层的叶子。这样的仪器将使得有可能辨别光合作用是如何在整个叶组织中整合的，从而在整个叶的水平上提供对光合作用性能的更机械的理解。目前没有仪器具有这些类型测量的灵敏度、能力或空间分辨率。

We propose to develop a new photoacoustic instrument that has microscopic spatial resolution and enhanced sensitivity, thus allowing first-time measurements of oxygen evolution, energy utilization, and energy dissipation within individual mesophyll layers of leaves. Such an instrument will make it possible to discern how photosynthesis in integrated across the tissues of the leaf, thus providing a more mechanistic understanding of photosynthetic performance at the level of the whole-leaf. No current instrumentation has the sensitivity, capability or spatial resolution for these types of measurements.