Nonlinear microscopy with fiber laser continuum excitation.

A compact high-power fiber-based femtosecond laser system is presented for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering/second-harmonic generation (CARS/SHG) microscopy, and quantitatively compared with a conventional picosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO)-based system. While the broad spectral width of the femtosecond pulses results in 2.5 times lower image contrast and limited spectral selectivity, lipid stores, myosin, and collagen filaments in living cells can clearly be identified at 60 times lower excitation powers compared to the picosecond system. Visually the images contain the same information. Together with simple operation, small footprint, and low cost, the capabilities of this high-power all-fiber-based laser system promise a more general use of nonlinear microscopy within the biosciences.