Abstract
Second harmonic generation (SHG) is inherently sensitive to the absence of spatial centrosymmetry, which can render it intrinsically sensitive to interfacial processes, chemical changes and electrochemical responses. Here, we seek to improve the imaging throughput of SHG microscopy by using a wide-field imaging scheme in combination with a medium-range repetition rate amplified near infrared femtosecond laser source and gated detection. The imaging throughput of this configuration is tested by measuring the optical image contrast for different image acquisition times of BaTiO₃ nanoparticles in two different wide-field setups and one commercial point-scanning configuration. We find that the second harmonic imaging throughput is improved by 2-3 orders of magnitude compared to point-scan imaging. Capitalizing on this result, we perform low fluence imaging of (parts of) living mammalian neurons in culture.
Highlights
Second-harmonic generation (SHG) is an elastic two-photon process in which two photons are transformed by a material into one photon with the double frequency
Campagnola, “Macromolecular structure of cellulose studied by second-harmonic generation imaging microscopy,” Opt
SHG is inherently sensitive to the presence of spatial non-centrosymmetry
Summary
Second-harmonic generation (SHG) is an elastic two-photon process in which two photons are transformed by a material into one photon with the double frequency. “Membrane imaging by second-harmonic generation microscopy,” J. M. Loew, “High-resolution nonlinear optical imaging of live cells by second harmonic generation,” Biophys.
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