Broadband excitation and collection in fiber-optic nonlinear endomicroscopy

Broadband excitation and collection in a fiber-optic nonlinear endomicroscope are realized by using a single hollow-core double-clad photonic crystal fiber and a gradient index lens. Femtosecond pulses with central wavelengths in the range of 750-850 nm can be directly delivered through the core of the fiber for nonlinear excitation without pre-chirping. A gradient index lens with numerical aperture 0.8 designed to operate over the near-infrared wavelength range is used for focusing the laser beam from the fiber for nonlinear excitation and for collecting the fluorescent signal from the sample. This compact system is suitable to perform nonlinear imaging of multiple fluorophors in the wavelength range of 750-850 nm