title: Noise characterization of broadband fiber Cherenkov radiation as a visible-wavelength source for optical coherence tomography and two-photon fluorescence microscopy.
abstract: Optical sources in the visible region immediately adjacent to the near-infrared biological optical window are preferred in imaging techniques such as spectroscopic optical coherence tomography of endogenous absorptive molecules and two-photon fluorescence microscopy of intrinsic fluorophores. However, existing sources based on fiber supercontinuum generation are known to have high relative intensity noise and low spectral coherence, which may degrade imaging performance. Here we compare the optical noise and pulse compressibility of three high-power fiber Cherenkov radiation sources developed recently, and evaluate their potential to replace the existing supercontinuum sources in these imaging techniques.
authors.forename: Haohua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: Youbo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yuan-Zhi
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boppart
mesh_terms: D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009622:Noise; D055100:Optical Fibers; D017785:Photons; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000295:instrumentation*