NEXT-GENERATION ULTRAFAST LASERS FOR MULTIPHOTON MICROSCOPY

Ultrafast femtosecond lasers remain essential for nonlinear excitation in multiphoton microscopy. As imaging modalities advance from imaging in head-fixed animals to imaging in freely moving animals, and from collecting hundreds of imaging frames per second to thousands, laser systems must become more compact, robust, and application-optimized.
In this presentation, we highlight rapidly growing neuroscience applications that are driving the customization of laser sources. These include fixed-wavelength lasers optimized for miniature two-photon miniscopes and imaging in freely moving animals. They also include low-repetition-rate, high-power sources typically used for optogenetics to create systems tailored for ultrafast voltage, neurotransmitter and volume imaging in vivo. We also discuss pulse-compression solutions for high-power lasers that enhance the efficiency of these systems for deeper, faster, and more photostable imaging. We further introduce a new generation of femtosecond laser sources specifically engineered to simplify modern multiphoton applications and to integrate more easily into advanced microscopes. This new platform delivers all essential performance attributes, including high pulse quality, excellent stability, integrated dispersion control, and turnkey usability, within an entirely new, compact, and easily integrated format. Together, these innovations represent a significant step forward in simplifying laser integration, expanding imaging capability, and enabling new biological discoveries on the submillisecond timescale.