Recent Advances in Fiber Lasers for Nonlinear Microscopy

Nat Photonics. 2013 Nov 1:7:10.1038/nphoton.2013.284. doi: 10.1038/nphoton.2013.284.

Abstract

Nonlinear microscopy techniques developed over the past two decades have provided dramatic new capabilities for biological imaging. The initial demonstrations of nonlinear microscopies coincided with the development of solid-state femtosecond lasers, which continue to dominate applications of nonlinear microscopy. Fiber lasers offer attractive features for biological and biomedical imaging, and recent advances are leading to high-performance sources with the potential for robust, inexpensive, integrated instruments. This article discusses recent advances, and identifies challenges and opportunities for fiber lasers in nonlinear bioimaging.