US20150192768A1 - Tunable mid-ir fiber laser for non-linear imaging applications - Google Patents
Tunable mid-ir fiber laser for non-linear imaging applications Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20150192768A1 US20150192768A1 US14/591,489 US201514591489A US2015192768A1 US 20150192768 A1 US20150192768 A1 US 20150192768A1 US 201514591489 A US201514591489 A US 201514591489A US 2015192768 A1 US2015192768 A1 US 2015192768A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- wavelength
- output
- fiber amplifier
- pulse
- fiber laser
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 81
- 238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 27
- 238000000386 microscopy Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 14
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 230000010287 polarization Effects 0.000 claims description 26
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 16
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000001069 Raman spectroscopy Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000005284 excitation Effects 0.000 description 19
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 8
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 8
- 230000002186 photoactivation Effects 0.000 description 8
- 238000003332 Raman imaging Methods 0.000 description 5
- 229910052689 Holmium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 229910052775 Thulium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 230000001427 coherent effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000006185 dispersion Substances 0.000 description 3
- KJZYNXUDTRRSPN-UHFFFAOYSA-N holmium atom Chemical compound [Ho] KJZYNXUDTRRSPN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 239000013307 optical fiber Substances 0.000 description 3
- 108090000623 proteins and genes Proteins 0.000 description 3
- 102000004169 proteins and genes Human genes 0.000 description 3
- 108010035848 Channelrhodopsins Proteins 0.000 description 2
- 230000003321 amplification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000013078 crystal Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000975 dye Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000000799 fluorescence microscopy Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000003199 nucleic acid amplification method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000001360 synchronised effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 206010001497 Agitation Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 229910052691 Erbium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 108090000862 Ion Channels Proteins 0.000 description 1
- 102000004310 Ion Channels Human genes 0.000 description 1
- 206010034972 Photosensitivity reaction Diseases 0.000 description 1
- RTAQQCXQSZGOHL-UHFFFAOYSA-N Titanium Chemical compound [Ti] RTAQQCXQSZGOHL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000004913 activation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002547 anomalous effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004061 bleaching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000009460 calcium influx Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003915 cell function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000033077 cellular process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004624 confocal microscopy Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- UYAHIZSMUZPPFV-UHFFFAOYSA-N erbium Chemical compound [Er] UYAHIZSMUZPPFV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000002474 experimental method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000006870 function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003834 intracellular effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000009022 nonlinear effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 208000007578 phototoxic dermatitis Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 231100000018 phototoxicity Toxicity 0.000 description 1
- 229910052594 sapphire Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010980 sapphire Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003595 spectral effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002269 spontaneous effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000087 stabilizing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000002123 temporal effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910052719 titanium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010936 titanium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000007704 transition Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B21/00—Microscopes
- G02B21/36—Microscopes arranged for photographic purposes or projection purposes or digital imaging or video purposes including associated control and data processing arrangements
- G02B21/361—Optical details, e.g. image relay to the camera or image sensor
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
- G01N21/25—Colour; Spectral properties, i.e. comparison of effect of material on the light at two or more different wavelengths or wavelength bands
- G01N21/255—Details, e.g. use of specially adapted sources, lighting or optical systems
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
- G01N21/25—Colour; Spectral properties, i.e. comparison of effect of material on the light at two or more different wavelengths or wavelength bands
- G01N21/31—Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry
- G01N21/35—Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry using infrared light
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
- G01N21/41—Refractivity; Phase-affecting properties, e.g. optical path length
- G01N21/45—Refractivity; Phase-affecting properties, e.g. optical path length using interferometric methods; using Schlieren methods
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
- G01N21/47—Scattering, i.e. diffuse reflection
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
- G01N21/59—Transmissivity
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B21/00—Microscopes
- G02B21/0004—Microscopes specially adapted for specific applications
- G02B21/002—Scanning microscopes
- G02B21/0024—Confocal scanning microscopes (CSOMs) or confocal "macroscopes"; Accessories which are not restricted to use with CSOMs, e.g. sample holders
- G02B21/0032—Optical details of illumination, e.g. light-sources, pinholes, beam splitters, slits, fibers
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B21/00—Microscopes
- G02B21/0004—Microscopes specially adapted for specific applications
- G02B21/002—Scanning microscopes
- G02B21/0024—Confocal scanning microscopes (CSOMs) or confocal "macroscopes"; Accessories which are not restricted to use with CSOMs, e.g. sample holders
- G02B21/0052—Optical details of the image generation
- G02B21/0076—Optical details of the image generation arrangements using fluorescence or luminescence
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S3/00—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range
- H01S3/005—Optical devices external to the laser cavity, specially adapted for lasers, e.g. for homogenisation of the beam or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping
- H01S3/0092—Nonlinear frequency conversion, e.g. second harmonic generation [SHG] or sum- or difference-frequency generation outside the laser cavity
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S3/00—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range
- H01S3/30—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range using scattering effects, e.g. stimulated Brillouin or Raman effects
- H01S3/302—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range using scattering effects, e.g. stimulated Brillouin or Raman effects in an optical fibre
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
- G01N21/25—Colour; Spectral properties, i.e. comparison of effect of material on the light at two or more different wavelengths or wavelength bands
- G01N21/31—Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry
- G01N21/35—Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry using infrared light
- G01N2021/3595—Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry using infrared light using FTIR
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B2207/00—Coding scheme for general features or characteristics of optical elements and systems of subclass G02B, but not including elements and systems which would be classified in G02B6/00 and subgroups
- G02B2207/114—Two photon or multiphoton effect
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S3/00—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range
- H01S3/05—Construction or shape of optical resonators; Accommodation of active medium therein; Shape of active medium
- H01S3/06—Construction or shape of active medium
- H01S3/063—Waveguide lasers, i.e. whereby the dimensions of the waveguide are of the order of the light wavelength
- H01S3/067—Fibre lasers
- H01S3/06754—Fibre amplifiers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S3/00—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range
- H01S3/10—Controlling the intensity, frequency, phase, polarisation or direction of the emitted radiation, e.g. switching, gating, modulating or demodulating
- H01S3/11—Mode locking; Q-switching; Other giant-pulse techniques, e.g. cavity dumping
- H01S3/1106—Mode locking
Definitions
- the present invention relates to the field of non-linear imagining, in particular, microscopy applications.
- Non-Linear imaging and in particular two-photon imaging systems are a workhouse in today's medical and life science labs.
- a non-linear imaging system consists of one or multiple excitation and detection beam paths and a processing unit.
- the excitation beam path is comprised of a laser, beam forming optics, namely a beam expander, a two dimensional scan unit, a set of optics to relay the beam onto the back aperture of an objective.
- a microscope objective focuses the beam onto the sample.
- the scan unit is used to create a 2D scan pattern on the sample to illuminate the region of interest by focus volume.
- Light scattered backward or forward from the sample is collected by a high NA objective, separated from the excitation light by means of a wavelength selective beam splitter or filters.
- the light is then detected by one or multiple light detectors.
- a processing unit reconstructs the image from the individually recorded pixels.
- the non-linear excitation commands high peak intensity, which limits the excitation volume to focus of the microscope objective. This allows for depth-resolved measurements.
- Another advantage of 2 p-microscopy over standard fluorescence or confocal microscopy is that the excitation wavelengths are about twice as long. Long wavelength excitation has two advantages. 1. It allows to image deeper into the sample as longer wavelengths scatter less in dense media like human tissue. 2. Excitation with NIR light reduces photo toxicity and photo bleaching of the specimen.
- fluorescence proteins like Green and Yellow florescence's proteins (GFP and YFP, respectively) or mCherry. Often the proteins are genetically encoded in the sample. These fluorophores exhibit strong excitation cross sections in the wavelength region above 950 nm.
- Wavelength of up to 1050 nm can be produced using mode-locked Titanium Sapphire Lasers. These lasers, however, are complex and expensive and often present a high barrier of entry into the field. In addition the gain maximum of TiSa is at 800 nm and the gain curve drops quickly when approaching 950 nm limiting the power available at 950 nm and above.
- a fairly new emerging imaging technique deploys three-photon excitation. All the advantages of long wavelength and non-linear excitation mentioned above apply also for three photon imaging.
- the excitation wavelengths between 1500 nm and 2000 nm are used.
- the advantage is even less scattering of the excitation light than in the case of two photon excitation.
- the reduced scattering permits even deeper imaging in highly scattering tissue.
- the disadvantage of going to higher and higher order non-linear excitation is a drastically reduced excitation cross section. Hence which technique to deploy needs to be carefully decided upon the objectives of the experiment.
- photo activation Another important technique used in live cell studies is photo activation.
- photo activation is to release certain substances into the cell upon exposing the cell or part of the cell to intense light. Another term used for this application might be uncaging.
- a second example of photo activation are light-gated ion channels.
- Channelrhodopsins are often used to enable light to control electrical excitability, intracellular acidity, calcium influx, and other cellular processes.
- Channelrhodopsins can be activated with green light (540 nm) in a single photon step or with light above 1 um in a two photon step in case one wants to activate deep in the tissue.
- Raman imaging provides specificity without the necessity to label the specimens with fluorophores or dyes.
- Raman imaging in general makes use of the unique rotational and vibrational level structure of molecules to provide specificity in analyzing a sample.
- Spontaneous Raman Scattering is a low probability event and hence the signal strength is typically low.
- the Raman signal can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude in the presence of two, intense driving light fields typically provided by two mode-locked lasers.
- the wavelength difference between the two light fields needs to be tuned to a transition frequency of the inner molecule level structure to get the signal enhancement.
- both laser pulses overlap in space and time on the sample. It can therefore be advantageous to have a laser source with two tightly synchronized outputs and which allows for a tunable wavelength difference between the two outputs.
- An embodiment of the invention provides a femtosecond fiber laser at the telecommunications band around 1550 nm and a tunable wavelength shifting method that converts the pulse wavelength to the amplification band of Thulium or Holmium doped optical fibers (around 2000 nm).
- This approach offers two advantages: (a) the femtosecond fiber lasers at 1550 nm have been developed into reliable and stable systems in the recent years and are commercially available from several companies, and (b) the amount of wavelength shift in the system can be tuned, offering the capability to adjust the ultimate output wavelength of the source.
- the output average power can be scaled up using a fiber amplifier in the 1800 nm to 2100 nm wavelength range.
- the output from said amplifier is then frequency-doubled in a non-linear medium to cover the biological interesting wavelength range from 950 nm to 1050 nm.
- Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for operating the imaging system that includes a mode-locked fiber laser configured to output a pulse having a center wavelength; a first nonlinear waveguide configured to shift the wavelength of the pulse from the mode-locked fiber laser; a first fiber amplifier configured to amplify the output from the first mode-locked fiber laser; a first fiber amplifier configured to amplify the output from the first nonlinear waveguide; and a nonlinear medium configured to frequency-double the output from the first fiber amplifier, the method including: receiving a feedback from the output of the first nonlinear waveguide, the output of the first fiber amplifier or the output of the nonlinear medium; and adjusting a gain of the first fiber amplifier, the light polarization, or the amount of wavelength shift in the first nonlinear waveguide to optimize the image brightness and quality.
- the light from the 1550 mode locked laser is split into two arms.
- the light is shifted to the amplification band of Thulium or Holmium doped optical fibers (around 2000 nm) and then frequency doubled.
- the other arm is amplified in an Erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) before frequency doubling.
- EDFA Erbium doped fiber amplifier
- Another embodiment of the present invention provides a three-photon microscopy system, including: a mode-locked fiber laser configured to output a pulse having a center wavelength; a nonlinear waveguide configured to shift the wavelength of the pulse from the mode-locked fiber laser; a fiber amplifier configured to amplify the output from the first nonlinear waveguide; and a microscopy imaging system.
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- An embodiment of the invention is a system that comprises four key components, as shown in FIG. 1 .
- the first component is a mode-locked fiber laser (MLFL) ( 110 ) supporting a transform-limited pulse width shorter than 1 ps and a center wavelength between 1500 nm and 1650 nm.
- the MLFL ( 110 ) is built based on a doped optical fiber as the gain medium and a mode-locking mechanism.
- the output from the fiber laser is coupled into Nonlinear Waveguide 1 ( 120 ), which shifts its wavelength to a wavelength longer than 1700 nm and shorter than 2800 nm by the process known as Raman soliton self-frequency shifting.
- Nonlinear Waveguide 1 ( 120 ) has an anomalous dispersion at the input pulse wavelength and a nonlinear coefficient larger than 1 W ⁇ 1 km ⁇ 1 .
- the third stage, Fiber Amplifier 1 ( 130 ), is a fiber amplifier operating in the wavelength region between 1700 nm and 2800 nm, for example, an amplifier system based on Thulium and/or Holmium doped fiber.
- Fiber Amplifier 1 ( 130 ) is a dual or multi-stage amplifier.
- Fiber Amplifier 1 ( 130 ) adds additional spectral bandwidth by nonlinear processes like Self Phase modulation and/or compresses the pulses in addition to amplifying their energy.
- the amplifier output is coupled into a nonlinear medium ( 140 ).
- the medium is designed to change the output frequency of the input pulse through a non-linear process such as Second Harmonic Generation (frequency doubling) or Third Harmonic Generation.
- the nonlinear medium could be a bulk nonlinear crystal like BBO.
- nonlinear medium could be a periodically poled nonlinear crystal.
- the generated pulses have center wavelengths between 900 nm and 1350 nm and can be used to excite e.g. fluorescence markers or dyes with excitation wavelengths within this range.
- the pulses are sent into a microscopy system ( 150 )
- one or more of the following components can be added to the system to improve its performance, as shown in FIG. 2 .
- Fiber amplifier 2 ( 260 ): A fiber amplifier can be included between the MLFL ( 210 ) and Nonlinear Waveguide 1 ( 220 ).
- the amplifier has a gain in the wavelength region from 1500 nm to 1650 nm, for example, an Er-doped fiber amplifier.
- the amplifier has three functions. First, it boosts the power from a low-power MLFL to the level needed for the Raman self-frequency shifting process. Second, it compresses the pulses from the mode-locked oscillator, which improves the efficiency of the frequency-shifting process, leading to a pulse energy increase or a pulse width decrease for the frequency-shifted pulses. Third, by adjusting the amplifier gain, it provides means for adjusting the amount of wavelength shift. The wavelength adjustment is used to tune the output of the frequency doubled light.
- Polarization controller 1 ( 250 ): This device is a manual or an automated polarization controller inserted between the MLFL ( 210 ) and Nonlinear Waveguide 1 ( 220 ).
- the polarization controller is used as a second adjustment mechanism for controlling the amount of wavelength shift through the self-frequency shifting process.
- An automated controller can be used to dynamically tune the wavelength to a desired point in the spectrum for added stability.
- the MLFL ( 210 ) and Fiber Amplifier 2 ( 260 ) are built using polarization maintaining fibers. In these cases, the wavelength shift is adjusted only using the gain of Fiber Amplifier 2 ( 260 ).
- polarization controller 1 ( 250 ) can be placed directly after the Mode-Locked Fiber Laser ( 210 ) or in between Fiber Amplifier 2 ( 260 ) and Nonlinear Waveguide 1 ( 220 ).
- Dispersive Element 1 ( 270 ): This component is included after Nonlinear Waveguide 1 ( 220 ) in order to create a desired amount of chirp on the pulse entering Fiber Amplifier 1 ( 230 ).
- the component comprises a dispersive device, including but not limited to optical waveguides, chirped Bragg gratings, prism pairs, and diffraction grating pairs.
- the dispersion value is designed to compress the output pulse from Fiber Amplifier 1 ( 230 ) to the shortest duration through the interplay between the dispersion and the nonlinearity in the amplifier.
- Dispersive Element 1 is designed to increase the pulse duration in order to reduce the nonlinear effects in the amplifier. In such cases, the pulses are re-compressed using the Dispersive Element 2 (see below).
- Polarization controller 2 ( 290 ): This component adjusts the polarization state of the pulses before entering Fiber Amplifier 1. By controlling this polarization state, the effective nonlinearity in Fiber Amplifier 1 can be adjusted, which is used to optimize the nonlinear pulse compression in Fiber Amplifier 1.
- Fiber Amplifier 1 ( 230 ) is built using polarization maintaining fibers. In these cases, the nonlinearity in Fiber Amplifier 1 is adjusted using the gain of Fiber Amplifier 1 ( 230 ).
- polarization controller 2 can be placed directly after Nonlinear Waveguide 1 ( 220 ) or in between Dispersive Element 1 ( 270 ) and Fiber Amplifier 1 ( 230 ).
- Dispersive Element 2 ( 280 ): This component is included before the Nonlinear medium as means to adjust the amount of chirp on the pulse entering the nonlinear medium ( 240 ).
- the component comprises a dispersive device, including but not limited to optical waveguides, chirped Bragg gratings, prism pairs, and diffraction grating pairs.
- Polarization controller 3 ( 291 ): This component is included before the nonlinear medium ( 240 ) as means to adjust the state of polarization of the pulse entering the nonlinear medium ( 240 ) to optimize the efficiency of the frequency doubling process.
- Fiber Amplifier 1 ( 230 ) is built using polarization maintaining fibers and the light polarization entering the nonlinear medium ( 240 ) is linear. In such cases, the frequency doubling efficiency can be simply adjusted by rotating the orientation of the output fiber from Fiber Amplifier 1 ( 230 ).
- An embodiment of the invention provides a system and method for stabilizing and tuning the pump wavelength and pulse shape and consequently optimizing the parameters of the two-photon imaging by adjusting the gains of Fiber Amplifiers 1 or 2 ( 330 or 360 ), or the polarization controllers 1 or 2 or 3 ( 350 , 390 , or 391 ), as shown in FIG. 3 .
- Polarization controller 1 350
- Fiber amplifier 2 360
- Dispersive Element 1 370
- Polarization controller 2 390
- Dispersive Element 2 380
- Polarization Controller 3 391
- the variables are dynamically adjusted to optimize and stabilize the system to a desired state.
- the parameters are tuned in order to optimize the output image brightness and quality.
- the output from Amplifier 1 ( 530 ) can be sent directly into a microscopy system ( 550 ) for three-photon imaging, as shown in FIG. 5 .
- the output from MLFL ( 510 ) is coupled to Nonlinear Waveguide 1 ( 520 ), and amplified by Fiber Amplifier 1 ( 530 ).
- the fluorophore excitation wavelength should be between 600 nm and 900 nm.
- FIGS. 6-8 illustrate some possible combinations of the components disclosed in accordance with some embodiments.
- the light from the 1550 mode locked laser ( 410 ) is split into two arms using a splitter ( 440 ), as shown in FIG. 4 .
- the light is wavelength-shifted using a Nonlinear Waveguide 1 ( 420 ) to a center wavelength between 1700 nm and 2800 nm, passed through an optional delay ( 460 ), amplified in Fiber Amplifier 1 ( 430 ), and is frequency-doubled by passing through Nonlinear Medium 1 ( 450 ).
- the light is passed through an optional delay ( 470 ), amplified in an optional Fiber Amplifier 3 ( 480 ) and is frequency-doubled in Nonlinear Medium 2 ( 490 ).
- This embodiment produces two precisely synced laser pluses at two different wavelengths.
- the pulses generated from both arms are separately or simultaneously coupled into the microscope ( 491 ).
- One or both of the delay components ( 460 or 470 ) can be adjustable delay lines that are used to adjust the temporal alignment between the pulses at the two wavelengths.
- the dual-wavelength system can be used for two-color two-photon imaging, two-color three-photon imaging, or a combination of photo-activation and two-photon imaging. Additionally, the dual-wavelength system can be used for coherent Raman imaging.
Abstract
Description
- This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/924,629, filed on Jan. 7, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
- The present invention relates to the field of non-linear imagining, in particular, microscopy applications.
- Non-Linear imaging and in particular two-photon imaging systems are a workhouse in today's medical and life science labs.
- A non-linear imaging system consists of one or multiple excitation and detection beam paths and a processing unit. The excitation beam path is comprised of a laser, beam forming optics, namely a beam expander, a two dimensional scan unit, a set of optics to relay the beam onto the back aperture of an objective. A microscope objective focuses the beam onto the sample. The scan unit is used to create a 2D scan pattern on the sample to illuminate the region of interest by focus volume. Light scattered backward or forward from the sample is collected by a high NA objective, separated from the excitation light by means of a wavelength selective beam splitter or filters. The light is then detected by one or multiple light detectors. A processing unit reconstructs the image from the individually recorded pixels.
- The non-linear excitation commands high peak intensity, which limits the excitation volume to focus of the microscope objective. This allows for depth-resolved measurements. Another advantage of 2 p-microscopy over standard fluorescence or confocal microscopy is that the excitation wavelengths are about twice as long. Long wavelength excitation has two advantages. 1. It allows to image deeper into the sample as longer wavelengths scatter less in dense media like human tissue. 2. Excitation with NIR light reduces photo toxicity and photo bleaching of the specimen.
- A great area of interest is to image samples tagged with fluorescence proteins like Green and Yellow florescence's proteins (GFP and YFP, respectively) or mCherry. Often the proteins are genetically encoded in the sample. These fluorophores exhibit strong excitation cross sections in the wavelength region above 950 nm.
- Wavelength of up to 1050 nm can be produced using mode-locked Titanium Sapphire Lasers. These lasers, however, are complex and expensive and often present a high barrier of entry into the field. In addition the gain maximum of TiSa is at 800 nm and the gain curve drops quickly when approaching 950 nm limiting the power available at 950 nm and above.
- Therefore, there is a need for a cost effective laser system which can produce high output power with short pulses at wavelength above 950 nm.
- A fairly new emerging imaging technique deploys three-photon excitation. All the advantages of long wavelength and non-linear excitation mentioned above apply also for three photon imaging. The excitation wavelengths between 1500 nm and 2000 nm are used. The advantage is even less scattering of the excitation light than in the case of two photon excitation. The reduced scattering permits even deeper imaging in highly scattering tissue. The disadvantage of going to higher and higher order non-linear excitation is a drastically reduced excitation cross section. Hence which technique to deploy needs to be carefully decided upon the objectives of the experiment.
- Another important technique used in live cell studies is photo activation. One example of photo activation is to release certain substances into the cell upon exposing the cell or part of the cell to intense light. Another term used for this application might be uncaging. A second example of photo activation are light-gated ion channels. Channelrhodopsins are often used to enable light to control electrical excitability, intracellular acidity, calcium influx, and other cellular processes. Channelrhodopsins can be activated with green light (540 nm) in a single photon step or with light above 1 um in a two photon step in case one wants to activate deep in the tissue.
- It is often desirable to observe the sample through a 2 p microscope and record certain cell functions time resolved after the photo activation took place. Precise synchronization (<100 ps) between the photo activation and the images taken thereafter is of the essence. Besides it is important to be able to take images at a wavelength different from the activation wavelength immediately after the photo activation without any downtime e.g. caused by tuning of a laser source.
- It can therefore be advantageous to have a laser source which emits two wavelengths simultaneously.
- Yet another use of the described laser system with a synchronized two wavelength output would be for Stimulated Coherent Raman Imaging or Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Imaging. Raman imaging provides specificity without the necessity to label the specimens with fluorophores or dyes. Raman imaging in general makes use of the unique rotational and vibrational level structure of molecules to provide specificity in analyzing a sample. Spontaneous Raman Scattering, however, is a low probability event and hence the signal strength is typically low. The Raman signal, however, can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude in the presence of two, intense driving light fields typically provided by two mode-locked lasers. The wavelength difference between the two light fields needs to be tuned to a transition frequency of the inner molecule level structure to get the signal enhancement. In addition it is imperative that both laser pulses overlap in space and time on the sample. It can therefore be advantageous to have a laser source with two tightly synchronized outputs and which allows for a tunable wavelength difference between the two outputs.
- An embodiment of the invention provides a femtosecond fiber laser at the telecommunications band around 1550 nm and a tunable wavelength shifting method that converts the pulse wavelength to the amplification band of Thulium or Holmium doped optical fibers (around 2000 nm). This approach offers two advantages: (a) the femtosecond fiber lasers at 1550 nm have been developed into reliable and stable systems in the recent years and are commercially available from several companies, and (b) the amount of wavelength shift in the system can be tuned, offering the capability to adjust the ultimate output wavelength of the source. The output average power can be scaled up using a fiber amplifier in the 1800 nm to 2100 nm wavelength range. The output from said amplifier is then frequency-doubled in a non-linear medium to cover the biological interesting wavelength range from 950 nm to 1050 nm.
- Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for operating the imaging system that includes a mode-locked fiber laser configured to output a pulse having a center wavelength; a first nonlinear waveguide configured to shift the wavelength of the pulse from the mode-locked fiber laser; a first fiber amplifier configured to amplify the output from the first mode-locked fiber laser; a first fiber amplifier configured to amplify the output from the first nonlinear waveguide; and a nonlinear medium configured to frequency-double the output from the first fiber amplifier, the method including: receiving a feedback from the output of the first nonlinear waveguide, the output of the first fiber amplifier or the output of the nonlinear medium; and adjusting a gain of the first fiber amplifier, the light polarization, or the amount of wavelength shift in the first nonlinear waveguide to optimize the image brightness and quality.
- In another embodiment the light from the 1550 mode locked laser is split into two arms. In one arm the light is shifted to the amplification band of Thulium or Holmium doped optical fibers (around 2000 nm) and then frequency doubled. The other arm is amplified in an Erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) before frequency doubling. This embodiment produces two precisely synced laser pluses at two different wavelengths in the two photon excitation window from 760 nm to 1050 nm.
- Another embodiment of the present invention provides a three-photon microscopy system, including: a mode-locked fiber laser configured to output a pulse having a center wavelength; a nonlinear waveguide configured to shift the wavelength of the pulse from the mode-locked fiber laser; a fiber amplifier configured to amplify the output from the first nonlinear waveguide; and a microscopy imaging system.
-
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an imaging system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. - The description of illustrative embodiments according to principles of the present invention is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description of embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely intended for convenience of description and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present invention. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation unless explicitly indicated as such. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected,” “coupled,” “interconnected,” and similar refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise. Moreover, the features and benefits of the invention are illustrated by reference to the exemplified embodiments. Accordingly, the invention expressly should not be limited to such exemplary embodiments illustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of features; the scope of the invention being defined by the claims appended hereto.
- This disclosure describes the best mode or modes of practicing the invention as presently contemplated. This description is not intended to be understood in a limiting sense, but provides an example of the invention presented solely for illustrative purposes by reference to the accompanying drawings to advise one of ordinary skill in the art of the advantages and construction of the invention. In the various views of the drawings, like reference characters designate like or similar parts.
- Multi-Photon Imaging
- An embodiment of the invention is a system that comprises four key components, as shown in
FIG. 1 . The first component is a mode-locked fiber laser (MLFL) (110) supporting a transform-limited pulse width shorter than 1 ps and a center wavelength between 1500 nm and 1650 nm. The MLFL (110) is built based on a doped optical fiber as the gain medium and a mode-locking mechanism. The output from the fiber laser is coupled into Nonlinear Waveguide 1 (120), which shifts its wavelength to a wavelength longer than 1700 nm and shorter than 2800 nm by the process known as Raman soliton self-frequency shifting. In one embodiment, Nonlinear Waveguide 1 (120) has an anomalous dispersion at the input pulse wavelength and a nonlinear coefficient larger than 1 W−1km−1. The third stage, Fiber Amplifier 1 (130), is a fiber amplifier operating in the wavelength region between 1700 nm and 2800 nm, for example, an amplifier system based on Thulium and/or Holmium doped fiber. In some embodiments, Fiber Amplifier 1 (130) is a dual or multi-stage amplifier. In some embodiments, Fiber Amplifier 1 (130) adds additional spectral bandwidth by nonlinear processes like Self Phase modulation and/or compresses the pulses in addition to amplifying their energy. The amplifier output is coupled into a nonlinear medium (140). The medium is designed to change the output frequency of the input pulse through a non-linear process such as Second Harmonic Generation (frequency doubling) or Third Harmonic Generation. - In one embodiment the nonlinear medium could be a bulk nonlinear crystal like BBO.
- In another embodiment the nonlinear medium could be a periodically poled nonlinear crystal.
- The generated pulses have center wavelengths between 900 nm and 1350 nm and can be used to excite e.g. fluorescence markers or dyes with excitation wavelengths within this range. The pulses are sent into a microscopy system (150)
- In other embodiments of the invention, one or more of the following components can be added to the system to improve its performance, as shown in
FIG. 2 . - Fiber amplifier 2 (260): A fiber amplifier can be included between the MLFL (210) and Nonlinear Waveguide 1 (220). The amplifier has a gain in the wavelength region from 1500 nm to 1650 nm, for example, an Er-doped fiber amplifier. The amplifier has three functions. First, it boosts the power from a low-power MLFL to the level needed for the Raman self-frequency shifting process. Second, it compresses the pulses from the mode-locked oscillator, which improves the efficiency of the frequency-shifting process, leading to a pulse energy increase or a pulse width decrease for the frequency-shifted pulses. Third, by adjusting the amplifier gain, it provides means for adjusting the amount of wavelength shift. The wavelength adjustment is used to tune the output of the frequency doubled light.
- Polarization controller 1 (250): This device is a manual or an automated polarization controller inserted between the MLFL (210) and Nonlinear Waveguide 1 (220). The polarization controller is used as a second adjustment mechanism for controlling the amount of wavelength shift through the self-frequency shifting process. An automated controller can be used to dynamically tune the wavelength to a desired point in the spectrum for added stability.
- In some embodiments, the MLFL (210) and Fiber Amplifier 2 (260) are built using polarization maintaining fibers. In these cases, the wavelength shift is adjusted only using the gain of Fiber Amplifier 2 (260).
- Note that in one embodiment, polarization controller 1 (250) can be placed directly after the Mode-Locked Fiber Laser (210) or in between Fiber Amplifier 2 (260) and Nonlinear Waveguide 1 (220).
- Dispersive Element 1 (270): This component is included after Nonlinear Waveguide 1 (220) in order to create a desired amount of chirp on the pulse entering Fiber Amplifier 1 (230). The component comprises a dispersive device, including but not limited to optical waveguides, chirped Bragg gratings, prism pairs, and diffraction grating pairs. In some embodiments, the dispersion value is designed to compress the output pulse from Fiber Amplifier 1 (230) to the shortest duration through the interplay between the dispersion and the nonlinearity in the amplifier. In other embodiments,
Dispersive Element 1 is designed to increase the pulse duration in order to reduce the nonlinear effects in the amplifier. In such cases, the pulses are re-compressed using the Dispersive Element 2 (see below). - Polarization controller 2 (290): This component adjusts the polarization state of the pulses before entering
Fiber Amplifier 1. By controlling this polarization state, the effective nonlinearity inFiber Amplifier 1 can be adjusted, which is used to optimize the nonlinear pulse compression inFiber Amplifier 1. - In some embodiments, Fiber Amplifier 1 (230) is built using polarization maintaining fibers. In these cases, the nonlinearity in
Fiber Amplifier 1 is adjusted using the gain of Fiber Amplifier 1 (230). - Note that in one embodiment, polarization controller 2 (290) can be placed directly after Nonlinear Waveguide 1 (220) or in between Dispersive Element 1 (270) and Fiber Amplifier 1 (230).
- Dispersive Element 2 (280): This component is included before the Nonlinear medium as means to adjust the amount of chirp on the pulse entering the nonlinear medium (240). The component comprises a dispersive device, including but not limited to optical waveguides, chirped Bragg gratings, prism pairs, and diffraction grating pairs.
- Polarization controller 3 (291): This component is included before the nonlinear medium (240) as means to adjust the state of polarization of the pulse entering the nonlinear medium (240) to optimize the efficiency of the frequency doubling process.
- In some embodiments, Fiber Amplifier 1 (230) is built using polarization maintaining fibers and the light polarization entering the nonlinear medium (240) is linear. In such cases, the frequency doubling efficiency can be simply adjusted by rotating the orientation of the output fiber from Fiber Amplifier 1 (230).
- An embodiment of the invention provides a system and method for stabilizing and tuning the pump wavelength and pulse shape and consequently optimizing the parameters of the two-photon imaging by adjusting the gains of
Fiber Amplifiers 1 or 2 (330 or 360), or thepolarization controllers FIG. 3 . As discussed above, in addition to the MLFL (310), Nonlinear Waveguide 1 (320), Fiber Amplifier 1 (330) and Nonlinear Medium (340), one or more of the components: Polarization controller 1 (350), Fiber amplifier 2 (360), Dispersive Element 1 (370), Polarization controller 2 (390), Dispersive Element 2 (380), and Polarization Controller 3 (391) are optionally included. By receiving feedback via a Feedback loop filter (392) from the image generated by the microscope (393), the output from the nonlinear medium (340), the output from Nonlinear Waveguide 1 (320), or the output from Fiber Amplifier 1 (330), the variables (gain or polarization) are dynamically adjusted to optimize and stabilize the system to a desired state. The parameters are tuned in order to optimize the output image brightness and quality. - Three-Photon Fluorescence Microscopy
- In another embodiment, the output from Amplifier 1 (530) can be sent directly into a microscopy system (550) for three-photon imaging, as shown in
FIG. 5 . As discussed above, the output from MLFL (510) is coupled to Nonlinear Waveguide 1 (520), and amplified by Fiber Amplifier 1 (530). The fluorophore excitation wavelength should be between 600 nm and 900 nm. - The various embodiments discussed in above section also apply to this embodiment as well.
- Furthermore, there are various possible applications of some of the embodiments discussed in this document, such as photo activation combined with three photon imaging.
FIGS. 6-8 illustrate some possible combinations of the components disclosed in accordance with some embodiments. - Dual-wavelength microscopy
- In another embodiment, the light from the 1550 mode locked laser (410) is split into two arms using a splitter (440), as shown in
FIG. 4 . In one arm the light is wavelength-shifted using a Nonlinear Waveguide 1 (420) to a center wavelength between 1700 nm and 2800 nm, passed through an optional delay (460), amplified in Fiber Amplifier 1 (430), and is frequency-doubled by passing through Nonlinear Medium 1 (450). In the other arm, the light is passed through an optional delay (470), amplified in an optional Fiber Amplifier 3 (480) and is frequency-doubled in Nonlinear Medium 2 (490). This embodiment produces two precisely synced laser pluses at two different wavelengths. The pulses generated from both arms are separately or simultaneously coupled into the microscope (491). One or both of the delay components (460 or 470) can be adjustable delay lines that are used to adjust the temporal alignment between the pulses at the two wavelengths. The dual-wavelength system can be used for two-color two-photon imaging, two-color three-photon imaging, or a combination of photo-activation and two-photon imaging. Additionally, the dual-wavelength system can be used for coherent Raman imaging. - While the present invention has been described at some length and with some particularity with respect to the several described embodiments, it is not intended that it should be limited to any such particulars or embodiments or any particular embodiment, but it is to be construed with references to the appended claims so as to provide the broadest possible interpretation of such claims in view of the prior art and, therefore, to effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention. Furthermore, the foregoing describes the invention in terms of embodiments foreseen by the inventor for which an enabling description was available, notwithstanding that insubstantial modifications of the invention, not presently foreseen, may nonetheless represent equivalents thereto.
Claims (17)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US14/591,489 US20150192768A1 (en) | 2014-01-07 | 2015-01-07 | Tunable mid-ir fiber laser for non-linear imaging applications |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201461924629P | 2014-01-07 | 2014-01-07 | |
US14/591,489 US20150192768A1 (en) | 2014-01-07 | 2015-01-07 | Tunable mid-ir fiber laser for non-linear imaging applications |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20150192768A1 true US20150192768A1 (en) | 2015-07-09 |
Family
ID=53495033
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/589,509 Active US9601899B2 (en) | 2014-01-07 | 2015-01-05 | Adjustable mid-infrared super-continuum generator using a tunable femtosecond oscillator |
US14/591,489 Abandoned US20150192768A1 (en) | 2014-01-07 | 2015-01-07 | Tunable mid-ir fiber laser for non-linear imaging applications |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/589,509 Active US9601899B2 (en) | 2014-01-07 | 2015-01-05 | Adjustable mid-infrared super-continuum generator using a tunable femtosecond oscillator |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US9601899B2 (en) |
EP (2) | EP3092692A4 (en) |
JP (2) | JP2017504074A (en) |
CN (2) | CN106030934B (en) |
CA (2) | CA2935860A1 (en) |
WO (2) | WO2015105752A1 (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2018093901A1 (en) | 2016-11-15 | 2018-05-24 | Cornell University | Adaptive illumination apparatus, method, and applications |
GB2581023A (en) * | 2018-12-18 | 2020-08-05 | Toptica Photonics Ag | Generation of ultrashort laser pulses at wavelengths of 860-1000 nm |
WO2021007460A1 (en) * | 2019-07-10 | 2021-01-14 | Ofs Fitel, Llc | All-fiber widely tunable ultrafast laser source |
US20220260889A1 (en) * | 2021-02-16 | 2022-08-18 | Thorlabs, Inc. | Mid-infrared broadband laser using cascaded nonlinearities in mid-infrared fiber and nonlinear crystal |
Families Citing this family (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US9785033B2 (en) * | 2014-01-30 | 2017-10-10 | The United States Of America, As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy | Compact infrared broadband source |
CN105207048A (en) * | 2015-09-21 | 2015-12-30 | 苏州龙格库塔光电科技有限公司 | Full-fabric wavelength-tunable ultrashort-pulse laser |
CN105470796B (en) * | 2015-12-30 | 2018-05-08 | 江苏师范大学 | Infrared super continuum source in a kind of high brightness ultra wide band |
CN106405973A (en) * | 2016-09-08 | 2017-02-15 | 中国科学院物理研究所 | Super continuous coherent light source |
CN110352361A (en) * | 2017-03-31 | 2019-10-18 | 华为技术有限公司 | With the device and method of human eye safety design scanning and ranging |
CN107658684B (en) * | 2017-10-12 | 2019-11-08 | 南京邮电大学 | A kind of solid core Bragg optical fiber structure for the dispersion flattene of infrared super continuous spectrums in generating |
CN107658680B (en) * | 2017-10-12 | 2020-09-25 | 南京邮电大学 | Device for generating mid-infrared super-continuum spectrum by solid Bragg optical fiber with flat dispersion |
CN107861306A (en) * | 2017-11-24 | 2018-03-30 | 北京遥感设备研究所 | A kind of ultrashort light pulse source suitable for photoelectricity analog-to-digital conversion |
CN111697424A (en) * | 2019-03-12 | 2020-09-22 | 中国移动通信有限公司研究院 | Light source generating device, method, equipment and computer readable storage medium |
EP3731352B1 (en) * | 2019-04-25 | 2023-12-06 | Fyla Laser, S.L. | An all-fiber configuration system and method for generating temporally coherent supercontinuum pulsed emission |
CN111585154B (en) * | 2020-05-18 | 2021-05-07 | 中国人民解放军国防科技大学 | Evaluation system and method for representing narrow linewidth optical fiber laser spectrum coherence characteristics in coherent synthesis system |
CN114156727A (en) * | 2021-10-26 | 2022-03-08 | 西安电子科技大学 | High-power intermediate infrared tunable femtosecond laser generating device |
Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5563731A (en) * | 1995-02-22 | 1996-10-08 | Nec Corporation | Monitor control signal receiving apparatus for optical fiber amplifier |
WO2001090804A2 (en) * | 2000-05-23 | 2001-11-29 | Novera Optics, Inc. | Acousto-optic variable attenuator with active cancellation of back reflections |
US6501594B1 (en) * | 1999-07-22 | 2002-12-31 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Long-band fiber amplifier using feedback loop |
JP2004287074A (en) * | 2003-03-20 | 2004-10-14 | National Institute Of Information & Communication Technology | Wavelength variable optical pulse generating device |
WO2005094275A2 (en) * | 2004-03-25 | 2005-10-13 | Imra America, Inc. | Optical parametric amplification, optical parametric generation, and optical pumping in optical fibers systems |
US20110318019A1 (en) * | 2010-06-29 | 2011-12-29 | Tyco Electronics Subsea Communication LLC | Communication transmission system with optically aided digital signal processing dispersion compensation |
US20120080616A1 (en) * | 2009-06-17 | 2012-04-05 | W.O.M. World Of Medicine Ag | Device and method for multi-photon fluorescence microscopy for obtaining information from biological tissue |
US20120262781A1 (en) * | 2008-08-21 | 2012-10-18 | Nlight Photonics Corporation | Hybrid laser amplifier system including active taper |
Family Cites Families (23)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1996010855A1 (en) * | 1994-10-03 | 1996-04-11 | Sdl, Inc. | Tunable blue laser diode |
JP3369833B2 (en) * | 1996-02-28 | 2003-01-20 | 日本電信電話株式会社 | Optical pulse generator |
JP3390755B2 (en) * | 1998-09-29 | 2003-03-31 | 科学技術振興事業団 | Wavelength tunable short pulse light generating apparatus and method |
US7330301B2 (en) * | 2003-05-14 | 2008-02-12 | Imra America, Inc. | Inexpensive variable rep-rate source for high-energy, ultrafast lasers |
JP5255838B2 (en) * | 2004-08-25 | 2013-08-07 | ケーエルエー−テンカー コーポレイション | Fiber amplifier based light source for semiconductor inspection |
US7519253B2 (en) * | 2005-11-18 | 2009-04-14 | Omni Sciences, Inc. | Broadband or mid-infrared fiber light sources |
JP4816063B2 (en) * | 2005-12-20 | 2011-11-16 | 住友電気工業株式会社 | Broadband light source |
US7529281B2 (en) | 2006-07-11 | 2009-05-05 | Mobius Photonics, Inc. | Light source with precisely controlled wavelength-converted average power |
US8554035B2 (en) | 2006-10-26 | 2013-10-08 | Cornell Research Foundation, Inc. | Production of optical pulses at a desired wavelength using soliton self-frequency shift in higher-order-mode fiber |
JP2008216716A (en) * | 2007-03-06 | 2008-09-18 | Univ Nagoya | Supercontinuum light source |
GB0800936D0 (en) * | 2008-01-19 | 2008-02-27 | Fianium Ltd | A source of optical supercontinuum generation having a selectable pulse repetition frequency |
JP4834718B2 (en) * | 2008-01-29 | 2011-12-14 | キヤノン株式会社 | Pulse laser device, terahertz generator, terahertz measuring device, and terahertz tomography device |
US8085397B2 (en) * | 2009-07-10 | 2011-12-27 | Honeywell Asca Inc. | Fiber optic sensor utilizing broadband sources |
EP2526592B1 (en) * | 2010-01-22 | 2021-06-23 | Newport Corporation | Broadly tunable optical parametric oscillator |
FR2958817B1 (en) * | 2010-04-08 | 2012-12-07 | Univ Limoges | IMPULSIVE SUPERCONTINUUM SOURCE WITH VARIABLE PULSE DURATION |
JP5648321B2 (en) | 2010-05-31 | 2015-01-07 | 富士通株式会社 | Wavelength conversion device, wavelength conversion method, and optical add / drop device |
JP2011257589A (en) * | 2010-06-09 | 2011-12-22 | Olympus Corp | Laser microscope, laser microscope system and laser beam transmitting means |
US8787410B2 (en) * | 2011-02-14 | 2014-07-22 | Imra America, Inc. | Compact, coherent, high brightness light sources for the mid and far IR |
US8971358B2 (en) * | 2011-03-14 | 2015-03-03 | Imra America, Inc. | Broadband generation of mid IR, coherent continua with optical fibers |
WO2013039756A1 (en) * | 2011-09-14 | 2013-03-21 | Imra America, Inc. | Controllable multi-wavelength fiber laser source |
US9213215B2 (en) * | 2012-01-19 | 2015-12-15 | The United States Of America, As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy | IR fiber broadband mid-IR light source |
CN102856783B (en) * | 2012-09-14 | 2014-04-02 | 北京工业大学 | Intermediate/far infrared super-continuum spectrum fiber laser |
CN103872558B (en) * | 2014-01-24 | 2017-04-12 | 长春理工大学 | All-fiber double-wavelength mid-infrared laser |
-
2015
- 2015-01-05 EP EP15735295.6A patent/EP3092692A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2015-01-05 JP JP2016545293A patent/JP2017504074A/en active Pending
- 2015-01-05 US US14/589,509 patent/US9601899B2/en active Active
- 2015-01-05 CA CA2935860A patent/CA2935860A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2015-01-05 CN CN201580009941.4A patent/CN106030934B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2015-01-05 WO PCT/US2015/010157 patent/WO2015105752A1/en active Application Filing
- 2015-01-07 JP JP2016545329A patent/JP2017505456A/en active Pending
- 2015-01-07 CA CA2935931A patent/CA2935931A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2015-01-07 WO PCT/US2015/010453 patent/WO2015105856A1/en active Application Filing
- 2015-01-07 CN CN201580007096.7A patent/CN105981238A/en active Pending
- 2015-01-07 EP EP15735043.0A patent/EP3092691A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2015-01-07 US US14/591,489 patent/US20150192768A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5563731A (en) * | 1995-02-22 | 1996-10-08 | Nec Corporation | Monitor control signal receiving apparatus for optical fiber amplifier |
US6501594B1 (en) * | 1999-07-22 | 2002-12-31 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Long-band fiber amplifier using feedback loop |
WO2001090804A2 (en) * | 2000-05-23 | 2001-11-29 | Novera Optics, Inc. | Acousto-optic variable attenuator with active cancellation of back reflections |
JP2004287074A (en) * | 2003-03-20 | 2004-10-14 | National Institute Of Information & Communication Technology | Wavelength variable optical pulse generating device |
WO2005094275A2 (en) * | 2004-03-25 | 2005-10-13 | Imra America, Inc. | Optical parametric amplification, optical parametric generation, and optical pumping in optical fibers systems |
US20050238070A1 (en) * | 2004-03-25 | 2005-10-27 | Gennady Imeshev | Optical parametric amplification, optical parametric generation, and optical pumping in optical fibers systems |
US20120262781A1 (en) * | 2008-08-21 | 2012-10-18 | Nlight Photonics Corporation | Hybrid laser amplifier system including active taper |
US20120080616A1 (en) * | 2009-06-17 | 2012-04-05 | W.O.M. World Of Medicine Ag | Device and method for multi-photon fluorescence microscopy for obtaining information from biological tissue |
US20110318019A1 (en) * | 2010-06-29 | 2011-12-29 | Tyco Electronics Subsea Communication LLC | Communication transmission system with optically aided digital signal processing dispersion compensation |
Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2018093901A1 (en) | 2016-11-15 | 2018-05-24 | Cornell University | Adaptive illumination apparatus, method, and applications |
EP3541271A4 (en) * | 2016-11-15 | 2020-07-08 | Cornell University | Adaptive illumination apparatus, method, and applications |
US20230039098A1 (en) * | 2016-11-15 | 2023-02-09 | Cornell University | Adaptive illumination apparatus, method, and applications |
US11607165B2 (en) | 2016-11-15 | 2023-03-21 | Cornell University | Adaptive illumination apparatus, method, and applications |
US11944448B2 (en) * | 2016-11-15 | 2024-04-02 | Cornell University | Adaptive illumination apparatus, method, and applications |
GB2581023A (en) * | 2018-12-18 | 2020-08-05 | Toptica Photonics Ag | Generation of ultrashort laser pulses at wavelengths of 860-1000 nm |
WO2021007460A1 (en) * | 2019-07-10 | 2021-01-14 | Ofs Fitel, Llc | All-fiber widely tunable ultrafast laser source |
US20220260889A1 (en) * | 2021-02-16 | 2022-08-18 | Thorlabs, Inc. | Mid-infrared broadband laser using cascaded nonlinearities in mid-infrared fiber and nonlinear crystal |
US11815782B2 (en) * | 2021-02-16 | 2023-11-14 | Thorlabs, Inc. | Mid-infrared broadband laser using cascaded nonlinearities in mid-infrared fiber and nonlinear crystal |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20150288133A1 (en) | 2015-10-08 |
CN106030934B (en) | 2019-08-06 |
CN106030934A (en) | 2016-10-12 |
US9601899B2 (en) | 2017-03-21 |
CA2935931A1 (en) | 2015-07-16 |
EP3092691A4 (en) | 2017-11-08 |
JP2017505456A (en) | 2017-02-16 |
CA2935860A1 (en) | 2015-07-16 |
CN105981238A (en) | 2016-09-28 |
JP2017504074A (en) | 2017-02-02 |
WO2015105752A1 (en) | 2015-07-16 |
EP3092691A1 (en) | 2016-11-16 |
EP3092692A4 (en) | 2017-10-25 |
EP3092692A1 (en) | 2016-11-16 |
WO2015105856A1 (en) | 2015-07-16 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US20150192768A1 (en) | Tunable mid-ir fiber laser for non-linear imaging applications | |
US11675245B2 (en) | Optical sources | |
US11800972B2 (en) | Supercontinuum light source | |
US20160238532A1 (en) | Multi-photon systems and methods | |
JP2017513211A (en) | Generation and emission of multiwavelength ultrashort pulses applied to microscopes | |
US7525724B2 (en) | Laser system for photonic excitation investigation | |
Kong et al. | Compact fs ytterbium fiber laser at 1010 nm for biomedical applications | |
JP5646095B1 (en) | Measuring device | |
US9195042B2 (en) | Laser based apparatus, methods and applications | |
JP2015158482A (en) | Stimulated raman scattering measuring device | |
CN114324271A (en) | Microscope system selectively driven by self-phase modulation spectrum, method thereof and microscope | |
Niederriter et al. | Compact diode laser source for multiphoton biological imaging | |
Groß et al. | Single-laser light source for CARS microscopy based on soliton self-frequency shift in a microstructured fiber | |
CN108565670B (en) | Method for realizing spectrum high-resolution coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering light source | |
JP2015175846A (en) | Raman scattering measurement device | |
Shou et al. | Multicolor Stimulated Raman and Fluorescence Imaging with High-speed Programmable Tunability | |
JP2010151988A (en) | Pulse light source device and imaging device using the same | |
JP7467592B2 (en) | All-fiber widely tunable ultrafast laser source | |
JP7275069B2 (en) | Optical measurement system and method | |
Nomura et al. | Short-Wavelength Thulium-Doped Fiber Laser for Three-Photon Microscopy | |
JP2017020968A (en) | Measuring device, measuring method, program, correction device, and signal processing apparatus | |
Maeda et al. | Coherent Anti-stokes Raman Spectroscopic System with Dual-Wavelength Oscillated Electronically Tuned Laser | |
Cleff et al. | Optimally chirped CARS spectroscopy using fiber stretchers | |
Posthumus et al. | Nonlinear frequency conversion with mode-locked Erbium fiber lasers | |
Maeda et al. | Coherent Anti-stokes Raman Spectroscopy with Dual-Wavelength Oscillation Electronically Tuned laser |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: THORLABS, INC., NEW JERSEY Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SALEM, REZA;FENDEL, PETER;CABLE, ALEX;SIGNING DATES FROM 20140108 TO 20150108;REEL/FRAME:034773/0661 |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: DOCKETED NEW CASE - READY FOR EXAMINATION |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: NON FINAL ACTION MAILED |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: RESPONSE TO NON-FINAL OFFICE ACTION ENTERED AND FORWARDED TO EXAMINER |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: NON FINAL ACTION MAILED |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: RESPONSE TO NON-FINAL OFFICE ACTION ENTERED AND FORWARDED TO EXAMINER |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: FINAL REJECTION MAILED |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |