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Collinear type II second-harmonic-generation frequency-resolved optical gating for use with high-numerical-aperture
D N Fittinghoff1, J A Squier, C P Barty
1Institute for Nonlinear Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0339, USA.
Optics Letters
|December 19, 2007
Summary
Characterizing ultrashort laser pulses at a microscope
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Laser Physics
- Microscopy
Background:
- Ultrashort-pulse lasers are crucial for multiphoton microscopy.
- Optimizing laser performance necessitates pulse characterization at the microscope objective's focal point.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and demonstrate a method for characterizing ultrashort laser pulses at the tight focus of a microscope objective.
- To enable full utilization of the microscope objective's numerical aperture (N.A.) during pulse characterization.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a collinear frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) geometry.
- Employed type II second-harmonic generation (SHG) for pulse characterization.
- Integrated the FROG technique with a standard microscope objective.
Main Results:
- Successfully measured the intensity and phase of a 22-femtosecond (fs) laser pulse.
- Demonstrated the technique using a 20x, 0.4-N.A. air objective.
- Validated the collinear FROG method for in-situ pulse analysis.
Conclusions:
- The developed collinear FROG technique effectively characterizes ultrashort pulses at the microscope focal plane.
- This method allows for the full numerical aperture of microscope objectives to be leveraged.
- Accurate pulse characterization is essential for optimizing multiphoton microscopy systems.
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