Femtosecond Sources for Biological Multiphoton Microscopy

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports the development of an inexpensive, compact, high power, and fully electronically controlled femtosecond laser system operating at 530 nm, 650 nm, 780 nm or 1060 nm. The laser system will be useful for multiphoton imaging applications in biological research, and in other areas of research where relatively inexpensive, pulsed laser light will be of use. The funded effort will explore the use of active electro-optic phase modulation in a loop configuration as a replacement for the commonly used mode-locking technique. The source will use entirely linear optics, enabling adjustable pulse repetition rate and pulse width. The chirp of the output pulse can be electronically tuned to compensate for the linear dispersion of several meters of optical fiber, allowing fiber delivery of femtosecond pulses without the use of cumbersome free-space grating pairs. The proposed research efforts will create "telecom grade" femtosecond sources that are truly robust and turn-key, and yet preserve a high degree of flexibility for a wide range of applications in biological imaging. Broader impacts of the project arise from training of undergraduate and graduate students, and the potential utility of the laser system in a variety of research and industrial applications.