Optical parametric amplification of weak signals for imaging biological tissue

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9506858-B2
Application number	US-201414157840-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2014
Priority date	May 9, 2013
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for obtaining an image of light scattering biological tissue. A series of pulses of substantially monochromatic light of a first wavelength is generated and split into two parts, of which one part illuminates a scattering biological tissue at an intensity too low to damage the tissue, while a second part is upconverted to generate a pump beam. Sample light from the biological tissue, which may be scattered (or transmitted) light, or fluorescence, or Raman scattering, etc., is collected and directed from the scattering biological tissue, along with the pump beam, into a non-linear optical element, in a single pass or multiple passes. Parametrically amplified sample light emerging from the non-linear optical element is detected and analyzed or displayed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for obtaining an image of scattering biological tissue, the method comprising:
a. generating a series of pulses of substantially monochromatic light of a first wavelength;
b. splitting each of the pulses into a first part and a second part;
c. converting the first part of each pulse into a white light supercontinuum;
d. illuminating the scattering biological tissue with the white light supercontinuum;
e. upconverting the second part of each…

Assignees

• Univ Illinois

Inventors

• Boppart Stephen A
• Zhao Youbo

Classifications

• G01N21/65

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01N21/47 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01N21/6486

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02F1/3534

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02F2001/392

  Physics · mapped topic