title: Fiber optical parametric oscillator for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy.
abstract: We present a synchronously pumped fiber optical parametric oscillator for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy. Pulses from a 1 μm Yb-doped fiber laser are amplified and frequency converted to 779-808 nm through normal dispersion four-wave mixing in a photonic crystal fiber. The idler frequency is resonant in the oscillator cavity, and we find that bandpass filtering the feedback is essential for stable, narrow-bandwidth output. Experimental results agree quite well with numerical simulations of the device. Transform-limited 2 ps pulses with energy up to 4 nJ can be generated at the signal wavelength. The average power is 180 mW, and the relative-intensity noise is much lower than that of a similar parametric amplifier. High-quality coherent Raman images of mouse tissues recorded with this source are presented.
authors: Erin S
authors: ES
authors: Lamb
authors: Simon
authors: S
authors: Lefrancois
authors: Minbiao
authors: M
authors: Ji
authors: William J
authors: WJ
authors: Wadsworth
authors: X Sunney
authors: XS
authors: Xie
authors: Frank W
authors: FW
authors: Wise
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004423:Ear; D051379:Mice; D055100:Optical Fibers; D012627:Sebaceous Glands; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000295:instrumentation*