title: Widely tuneable fiber optical parametric amplifier for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy.
abstract: We present a narrow-bandwidth, widely tunable fiber laser source for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectro-microscopy. The required, synchronized, two-color pulse trains are generated by optical-parametric amplification in a photonic-crystal fiber (PCF). The four-wave-mixing process in the PCF is pumped by a 140ps, alignment-free fiber laser system, and it is seeded by a tunable continuous-wave laser; hence, a high spectral resolution of up to 1cm(-1) is obtained in the CARS process. Since the PCF is pumped close to its zero-dispersion wavelength, a broad parametric gain can be accessed, resulting in a large tuning range for the generated signal and idler wavelengths. CARS spectroscopy and microscopy is demonstrated, probing different molecular vibrational modes within the accessible region between 1200cm(-1) and 3800cm(-1).
authors.affiliation: Institute for Applied Physics, Abbe Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universtity Jena, Jena, Germany. mario.chemnitz@uni-jena.de
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chemnitz
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baumgartl
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Cesar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jauregui
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dietzek
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Popp
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Limpert
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tünnermann
mesh_terms: D000669:Amplifiers, Electronic; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D055100:Optical Fibers; D017785:Photons; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000295:instrumentation*