Abstract

Nonlinear optical (NLO) microscopy [1-3] allows for intrinsic confocal (three-dimensional) high-speed imaging with deep penetration and high molecular contrast. Two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) has been widely employed in biological imaging, taking advantage of either the intrinsic fluorescence or the extrinsic labeling of cells and tissues. Coherent Raman scattering (CRS), comprising coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), has been established as the most powerful chemically selective label-free high-speed imaging tool. Multimodal approaches, combining TPEF and CRS into a NLO microscope, can bring a very rich biological information on the sample under study. Up to now, NLO microscopes were based either on two synchronized Ti:sapphire oscillators or a bulk solid-state oscillator driving an optical parametric oscillator [2]. The complexity and cost of the overall apparatus, from the laser source to the detection systems, has so far hindered its mainstream use in biology.

© 2017 IEEE