Wavelength division scanning for two-photon excitation fluorescence imaging

Citric Acid-Based Intrinsic Band-Shifting Photoluminescent Materials

Citric acid, an important metabolite with abundant reactive groups, has been demonstrated as a promising starting material to synthesize diverse photoluminescent materials including small molecules, polymers, and carbon dots. The unique citrate chemistry enables the development of a series of citric acid-based molecules and nanomaterials with intriguing intrinsic band-shifting behavior, where the emission wavelength shifts as the excitation wavelength increases, ideal for chromatic imaging and many other applications. In this review, we discuss the concept of "intrinsic band-shifting photoluminescent materials", introduce the recent advances in citric acid-based intrinsic band-shifting materials, and discuss their potential applications such as chromatic imaging and multimodal sensing. It is our hope that the insightful and forward-thinking discussion in this review will spur the innovation and applications of the unique band-shifting photoluminescent materials.

Chromatic second harmonic imaging

We report a non-axial-scanning second harmonic imaging technique, in which the chromatic aberration of a Fresnel lens is exploited to focus different wavelengths of a fundamental beam into different axial positions to effectively realize axial scanning. Since the second harmonic signals at different axial positions are generated by different fundamental wavelengths and hence accordingly have different center wavelengths, they can be resolved and detected in parallel by using a spectrometer without axial mechanical scanning. We have demonstrated a system capable of achieving about 8 μm effective axial scanning range. Proof-of-concept imaging results are also presented.

A simple scanless two-photon fluorescence microscope using selective plane illumination

We demonstrate a simple scanless two-photon (2p) excited fluorescence microscope based on selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM). Optical sectioning capability is presented and depth-resolved imaging of cameleon protein in C. elegans pharyngeal muscle is implemented.

Two-photon microscopy by wavelength-swept pulses delivered through single-mode fiber

Nonlinear microscopy through flexible fiber-optic catheters has potential in clinical diagnostic applications. Here, we demonstrate a new approach based on wavelength-swept narrowband pulses that permits simple fiber-optic delivery without need of the dispersion management and allows nonmechanical beam scanning. Using 0.86 ps pulses rapidly tuned from 789 nm to 822 nm at a sweep rate of 200 Hz, we demonstrate two-photon fluorescence and second-harmonic generation imaging through a 5-m-long standard single-mode fiber.

Fractal generalized zone plates

The construction of fractal generalized zone plates from a set of periodic diffractive optical elements with circular symmetry is proposed. This allows us, for instance, to increase the number of foci of a conventional fractal zone plate while keeping the self-similarity property within the axial irradiance. The focusing properties of these fractal diffractive optical elements for points not only along but also in the close vicinity of the optical axis are investigated. In both cases analytical expressions for the irradiance are derived. Numerical simulations of the energetic efficiency of fractal generalized zone plates under plane wave illumination are carried out. In addition, some effects on the axial irradiance caused by variations in the area of their transparent rings are shown.