Development of a low-cost femtosecond fiber laser system for multiphoton microscopy
Overview
This talk will present a low-cost protocol for fabricating an easily constructed femtosecond (fs) fiber laser system suitable for routine multiphoton microscopy (1060–1080 nm, 1 W average power, 70 fs pulse duration, 30–70 MHz repetition rate). Concepts well-known in the laser physics community essential to proper laser operation, but generally obscure to biophysicists and biomedical engineers, will be clarified. The parts list (~$13K US dollars), the equipment list (~$40K+), and the intellectual investment needed to build the laser will be described. The goal of the presentation will be to engage with the audience to discuss trade-offs associated with a custom-built fs fiber laser versus purchasing a commercial system. I will also touch on my research group’s plans to further develop this custom laser system for multiplexed cancer imaging as well as recent developments in the field that promise even higher performance fs fiber lasers for approximately the same cost and ease of construction.
Speaker
Bryan Q. Spring is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Physics and an Affiliated Faculty of Bioengineering (Northeastern University, Boston), and a Visiting Scientist at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine (Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School). He is also a Visiting Scientist at the Fetal–Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center (Boston Children’s Hospital). As an undergraduate NSF fellow, he contributed to characterizing one of the intricate photophysical parameters of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) under the guidance of Robert S. Knox (Department of Physics, University of Rochester, NY). His doctoral work with Robert M. Clegg (Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) focused on developing fluorescence lifetime and quantitative FRET imaging. He developed patented technology for molecular imaging and selective treatment of cancer micrometastases during his postdoctoral fellowship in Tayyaba Hasan’s laboratory (Wellman Center for Photomedicine). Since joining the faculty at Northeastern University in 2015, Prof. Spring received The NCI Transition Career Development Award (K22) as well as an award from the Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research. In 2021, he was selected as a Scialog Fellow for Advancing Bioimaging. Outside the laboratory, Prof. Spring practices meditation and calisthenics.
Related Publications
Davoudzadeh, N., Ducourthial, G. & Spring, B.Q. Custom fabrication and mode-locked operation of a femtosecond fiber laser for multiphoton microscopy. Sci Rep 9, 4233 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40871-5
Repositories
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