In vivo ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography.
Ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) by use of state of the art broad-bandwidth femtosecond laser technology is demonstrated and applied to in vivo subcellular imaging. Imaging is performed with a Kerr-lens mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser with double-chirped mirrors that emits sub-two-cycle pulses with bandwidths of up to 350 nm, centered at 800 nm. Longitudinal resolutions of ~1mum and transverse resolution of 3mum, with a 110-dB dynamic range, are achieved in biological tissue. To overcome depth-of-field limitations we perform zone focusing and image fusion to construct a tomogram with high transverse resolution throughout the image depth. To our knowledge this is the highest longitudinal resolution demonstrated to date for in vivo OCT imaging.
Drexler
W
W
Morgner
U
U
Kärtner
F X
FX
Pitris
C
C
Boppart
S A
SA
Li
X D
XD
Ippen
E P
EP
Fujimoto
J G
JG