Optical sources
AssigneeNkt Photonics A/S
InventorsAnatoly Borisovich Grudinin, John Redvers Clowes, Pascal Dupriez, Michael Yarrow
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A coherent anti-stokes Raman scattering apparatus for imaging a sample includes an optical output; an optical source arranged to generate a first optical signal at a first wavelength; and a nonlinear element arranged to receive the first optical signal, where the nonlinear element is arranged to cause the first optical signal to undergo four-wave mixing on transmission through the nonlinear element such that a second optical signal at a second wavelength and a third optical signal at a third wavelength are generated, wherein an optical signal pair including two of the first, second and third optical signals is provided to the optical output for imaging the sample.
Claims19
A visible light optical source comprising:
- an optical output arranged to output an optical signal;
- a pump optical source arranged to generate a pump signal at a pump wavelength;
- a first microstructured optical fibre arranged to receive the pump signal, the first microstructured optical fibre being arranged to cause the pump signal to undergo four-wave mixing on transmission through the first microstructured optical fibre such that a first optical signal at a first signal wavelength is generated;
- and
- a second microstructured optical fibre arranged to receive the first optical signal, the second microstructured optical fibre being arranged to cause the first optical signal to undergo four-wave mixing on transmission through the second microstructured optical fibre such that a second optical signal at a second signal wavelength and an idler signal at an idler wavelength are generated, one of the second optical signal and the idler signal being provided to the optical output.
A tunable frequency conversion arrangement comprising:
- a visible light optical source comprising:
- an optical output arranged to output an optical signal;
- a pump optical source arranged to generate a pump signal at a pump wavelength;
- a first microstructured optical fibre arranged to receive the pump signal, the first microstructured optical fibre being arranged to cause the pump signal to undergo four-wave mixing on transmission through the microstructured optical fibre such that a first optical signal at a first signal wavelength is generated;
- and
- a second microstructured optical fibre arranged to receive the first optical signal, the second microstructured optical fibre being arranged to cause the first optical signal to undergo four-wave mixing on transmission through the second microstructured optical fibre such that a second optical signal at a second signal wavelength and an idler signal at an idler wavelength are generated, the second optical signal and the idler signal being provided to the optical output;
- and
- a tunable nonlinear optical element arranged to receive the second optical signal and the idler signal from the visible light optical source,
- wherein the nonlinear optical element can be tuned to select one of a plurality of frequency conversion modes, wherein in each said frequency conversion mode one or more of said received signals are caused to undergo a nonlinear process on transmission through the nonlinear element such that a frequency-converted optical signal is generated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.