Characterization of the elasticity of biological cells is growing as a new way to gain insight into cell biology. Cell mechanics are related to most aspects of cellular behavior, and applications in research and medicine are broad. Current methods are often limited since they require physical contact or lack resolution. From the methods available for the characterization of elasticity, those relying on high frequency ultrasound (phonons) are the most promising because they offer label-free, high (even super-optical) resolution and compatibility with conventional optical microscopes. In this Perspective contribution, we review the state of the art of picosecond ultrasonics for cell imaging and characterization, particularly for Brillouin scattering-based methods, offering an opinion for the challenges faced by the technology. The challenges are separated into biocompatibility, acquisition speed, resolution, and data interpretation and are discussed in detail along with new results.

中文翻译：

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用于生物细胞弹性成像和表征的皮秒超声波

生物细胞弹性的表征正在成为深入了解细胞生物学的新方法。细胞力学与细胞行为的大多数方面有关，在研究和医学中的应用非常广泛。当前的方法通常受到限制，因为它们需要物理接触或缺乏分辨率。从可用于表征弹性的方法中，依靠高频超声（声子）的方法是最有前途的，因为它们提供无标记、高（甚至超光学）分辨率以及与传统光学显微镜的兼容性。在这篇 Perspective 贡献中，我们回顾了用于细胞成像和表征的皮秒超声波的最新技术，特别是基于布里渊散射的方法，为该技术面临的挑战提供了意见。