Multiphoton excitation of fluorescent probes.

This introduction reviews the multiphoton excitation cross sections of extrinsic and intrinsic fluorophores, genetically engineered probes, and nanoparticles. We will review the known two-photon excitation cross sections of biological indicators and will discuss several related issues such as how to theoretically estimate and experimentally gauge the two-photon cross section of an indicator. We provide practical guides for experimentally estimating the excitation cross section.