High performance multimodal CARS microscopy using a single femtosecond source

Adrian F. Pegoraro; Aaron D. Slepkov; Andrew Ridsdale; Rodney K. Lyn; Douglas J. Moffatt; John Paul Pezacki; Brian K. Thomas; Libin Fu; Liang Dong; Martin E. Fermann; Albert Stolow

doi:10.1117/12.841396

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26 February 2010 High performance multimodal CARS microscopy using a single femtosecond source

Adrian F. Pegoraro, Aaron D. Slepkov, Andrew Ridsdale, Rodney K. Lyn, Douglas J. Moffatt, John Paul Pezacki, Brian K. Thomas, Libin Fu, Liang Dong, Martin E. Fermann, Albert Stolow

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Proceedings Volume 7569, Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences X; 756908 (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.841396
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2010, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Traditional CARS microscopy using picosecond (ps) lasers has been applied to a wide variety of applications; however, the lasers required are expensive and require an environmentally stable lab. In our work, we demonstrate CARS microscopy using a single femtosecond (fs) laser combined with a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) and optimal chirping to achieve similar performance to the ps case with important added advantages: fs-CARS utilizes versatile source that allows CARS to be combined with other multiphoton techniques (e.g. SHG, TPF) for multimodal imaging without changing laser sources. This provides an attractive entry point for many researchers to the field. Furthermore, optimal chirping in fs-CARS also opens the door to the combination and extension of other techniques used in ps CARS microscopy such as multiplex and FM imaging. The key advantage with chirped fs pulses is that time delay corresponds to spectral scanning and allows for rapid modulation of the resonant CARS signal. The combination of a fs oscillator with a PCF leads to a natural extension of the technology towards an all-fiber source for multimodal multiphoton microscopy. An all-fiber system should be more robust against environmental fluctuations while being more compact than free-space systems. We have constructed and demonstrated a proof of concept all-fiber based source that can be used for simultaneous CARS, TPF and SHG imaging. This system is capable of imaging tissue samples and live cell cultures with 4 μs/pixel dwell time at low average powers.

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Adrian F. Pegoraro, Aaron D. Slepkov, Andrew Ridsdale, Rodney K. Lyn, Douglas J. Moffatt, John Paul Pezacki, Brian K. Thomas, Libin Fu, Liang Dong, Martin E. Fermann, and Albert Stolow "High performance multimodal CARS microscopy using a single femtosecond source", Proc. SPIE 7569, Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences X, 756908 (26 February 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.841396

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