Multi-photon endoscopic imaging system
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorMark J Schnitzer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An imaging system includes a pulsed laser, a pre-compensator for chromatic dispersion, a transmission optical fiber, and a GRIN lens. The pre-compensator chirps optical pulses received from the laser. The transmission optical fiber transports the chirped optical pulses from the pre-compensator. The GRIN lens receives the transported optical pulses from the transmission optical fiber. The GRIN lens has a wider optical core than the transmission optical fiber and substantially narrows the transported optical pulses received from the transmission optical fiber.
Claims16
An imaging system, comprising:
- a pulsed laser;
- a pre-compensator configured to receive optical pulses produced by the pulsed laser and to chirp said optical pulses to pre-compensate for chromatic dispersion;
- a transmission optical fiber configured to receive and transport the chirped optical pulses from the pre-compensator;
- a GRIN lens configured to receive the optical pulses transported by the transmission optical fiber;
- and
- wherein the GRIN lens has a wider optical core than the transmission optical fiber and the GRIN lens is configured to substantially temporally narrow the optical pulses received from the transmission optical fiber.
A method for operating an imaging system, comprising:
- chirping optical pulses;
- transmitting the chirped optical pulses through a transmission optical fiber wherein chromatic dispersion narrows the chirped optical pulses;
- transmitting through a GRIN lens the optical pulses transmitted through the transmission optical fiber;
- and
- wherein the transmitting through a GRIN lens causes further substantial temporal narrowing of the optical pulses transmitted through the transmission optical fiber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.