Multiphoton microscopy using frequency-doubled compact femtosecond erbium-doped fiber laser

Abstract

We report on the development of a compact multiphoton microscopy (MPM) system based on a frequency-doubled, femtosecond erbium-doped fiber laser source at 1.58 &mu;m. By use of periodically poled MgO:LiNbO₃, frequency-doubled pulses at 790 nm with average power of 75 mW and pulse width of 130 fs are applied as the excitation source. The fiber laser is optimized for its parameters along with the dispersive properties of the delivery fiber such that the MPM signal is maximized at the sample location. Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) scanner, miniature objective, and multimode fiber are further used to make the MPM system compact. MPM images are obtained from unstained biological samples. The MPM system with a compact, portable, low-cost fiber laser has a great potential to transform the bench-top MPM system to a portable system for <i>in vivo</i> MPM imaging.