Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026
08:48
Low-cost Custom Fabrication and Mode-locked Operation of an All-normal-dispersion Femtosecond Fiber Laser for Multiphoton Microscopy
Published on: November 22, 2019
Femtosecond Fiber Lasers Based on Dissipative Processes for Nonlinear Microscopy
1The School of Applied and Engineering Physics at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. (phone: 607-255-1184).
IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics : a Publication of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society
|July 23, 2013
Summary
Recent advancements in femtosecond-pulse fiber lasers offer performance competitive with solid-state lasers for nonlinear microscopy. These lasers provide short pulse durations and high pulse energy, ideal for advanced bioimaging applications.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Laser Physics
- Biomedical Imaging
Background:
- Femtosecond-pulse fiber lasers are crucial for nonlinear microscopy.
- Traditional solid-state lasers have limitations in this field.
- Advancements are needed for improved bioimaging capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent progress in femtosecond-pulse fiber laser development.
- To highlight lasers suitable for nonlinear microscopy.
- To compare fiber lasers with solid-state alternatives.
Main Methods:
- Review of femtosecond-pulse fiber laser technologies.
- Analysis of pulse-shaping techniques in normal-dispersion lasers.
- Summary of laser performance metrics.
Main Results:
- Fiber lasers based on dissipative solitons achieve performance competitive with solid-state lasers.
- These fiber lasers offer advantages of the fiber medium.
- Self-similar pulse evolution lasers provide short pulses and high energy.
Conclusions:
- Femtosecond-pulse fiber lasers are now viable alternatives to solid-state lasers for nonlinear microscopy.
- Dissipative soliton and self-similar evolution lasers show great promise for nonlinear bioimaging.
- Fiber laser technology offers significant benefits for advanced imaging.
Related Concept Videos
01:37Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy
Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRFM) provides a better resolution than conventional fluorescence microscopy by reducing the point spread function (PSF). PSF is the light intensity distribution from a point that causes it to appear blurred. Due to PSF, each fluorescing point appears bigger than its actual size, and it is the PSF interference of nearby fluorophores that causes the blurred image. Various approaches to achieving higher resolution through SRFM have recently been developed.
01:16Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy
Confocal microscopy is an advanced microscopic technique. The prime advantage of the confocal microscope over other microscopy techniques is its ability to block the out-of-focus light from the illuminated samples using pinholes. It is widely used with fluorescence optics to obtain high-resolution, sharp contrast images. Unlike optical microscopes, confocal microscopes use a focused beam of light laser to scan the entire sample surface at different z-planes. These microscopes are, therefore,...