Abstract

A broadband continuously tunable SESAM all-fiber laser based on optical parametric generation (OPG) for coherent anti-stokes Raman scattering (CARS) imaging applications is presented in this article. This laser structure is built on all-polarization maintaining fibers yielding high environmental stability. The OPG is based on PM photonic crystal fiber as parametric gain pumped by a wavelength-tunable (1025 to 1055 nm) and repetition rate-tunable (3 MHz to 500 KHz) Yb-doped pulsed fiber laser. The all-fiber structure features free polarization adjustment in slow-axis tunable operation with a wavelength range from 770 to 940 nm for signal radiation and 1225 to 1510 nm for idler radiation. The pump and signal pulses (CARS-Stokes and CARS-pump respectively) are intrinsically overlapped, both spatially and temporarily, due to the four-wave mixing (FWM) generation and emitted from a single fiber end. The CARS-Stokes and CARS-pump pulse duration vary between 25 to 32 ps and 21 to 24 ps, respectively in the whole band, ensuring a good overlap of the generated signals, and both exhibit a Gaussian profile with high spatial beam quality. The frequency conversion allows to obtain a frequency difference between the generated signals from 1100 to 3300 $\text{cm}^{ - 1}$ . The reported low-cost laser source is ideal for bio-imaging applications, especially in CARS imaging, due to its compactness, simplicity, robustness and ease of handling. A patent has been filed based on this technology.

All-fiber laser source for CARS microscopy based on fiber optical parametric frequency conversion

Martin Baumgartl, Mario Chemnitz, Cesar Jauregui, Tobias Meyer, Benjamin Dietzek, Jürgen Popp, Jens Limpert, and Andreas Tünnermann
Opt. Express 20(4) 4484-4493 (2012)

Alignment-free, all-spliced fiber laser source for CARS microscopy based on four-wave-mixing

Martin Baumgartl, Thomas Gottschall, Javier Abreu-Afonso, Antonio Díez, Tobias Meyer, Benjamin Dietzek, Manfred Rothhardt, Jürgen Popp, Jens Limpert, and Andreas Tünnermann
Opt. Express 20(19) 21010-21018 (2012)

Fiber-based source for multiplex-CARS microscopy based on degenerate four-wave mixing

Thomas Gottschall, Martin Baumgartl, Aude Sagnier, Jan Rothhardt, Cesar Jauregui, Jens Limpert, and Andreas Tünnermann
Opt. Express 20(11) 12004-12013 (2012)

Fiber-based optical parametric oscillator for high resolution coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy

Thomas Gottschall, Tobias Meyer, Martin Baumgartl, Benjamin Dietzek, Jürgen Popp, Jens Limpert, and Andreas Tünnermann
Opt. Express 22(18) 21921-21928 (2014)

Widely tuneable fiber optical parametric amplifier for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy

Mario Chemnitz, Martin Baumgartl, Tobias Meyer, Cesar Jauregui, Benjamin Dietzek, Jürgen Popp, Jens Limpert, and Andreas Tünnermann
Opt. Express 20(24) 26583-26595 (2012)