Femtosecond pulse laser modulator and fast high resolution miniature two-photon microscope having same

Abstract

The invention discloses a femtosecond pulse laser modulator and a fast high resolution miniature two-photon microscope having the same. The femtosecond pulse laser modulator comprises a negative dispersion optical path and a positive dispersion optical path, wherein the negative dispersion optical path comprises a laser input optical fiber for transmitting a pulse-widened prechirp compensated laser beam to a scanning imaging portion; and the positive dispersion optical path is located between a femtosecond pulse laser device and the negative dispersion optical path and is used for compensating the negative dispersion caused by the laser input optical fiber in a laser transmission process. The femtosecond pulse laser modulator is capable of providing a favorable condition for the fast high resolution miniature two-photon microscope to stably observe the dendrites and the dendritic spine of unrestrained animals in a natural physiological environment.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the technical field of optical imaging, in particular to a femtosecond pulse laser modulator and a miniature two-photon microscopic imaging device with the same. Background technique [0002] One of the ultimate goals of neuroscience is to understand the fundamentals of subcellular, cellular, circuit, and higher-level neuronal information processing in freely moving animals. Combined with fluorescent indicators, light microscopy has become a fundamental research tool in this task, as it allows direct observation of neuronal activity at multiple temporal and spatial scales. A single synapse is the fundamental unit of information transmission, processing and storage, and is critical for understanding brain function and disease mechanisms. Postsynaptic structures -- dendritic spines are submicron structures buried deep in the brain and active on the order of milliseconds. Due to its inherent optical sectioning and deep tissue pe...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, none of these mTPMs has been used for subsequent biological applications, mainly due to two major limitations: First, no one has been able to image the most widely used fluorescent probes, such as GCaMPs, due to the lack of suitable optical fibers for delivery 920nm femtosecond laser pulses for undistorted pulse to sample

Second, mTPMs often show lower than their theoretical resolution in vivo experiments, which may be due to the low sampling rate, miniature graded-index lenses (English full name "Graded-Index Lenses", hereinafter referred to as "GRIN") aberrations, imperfections in micro-optics and imaging noise caused by motion, etc.

However, current noninvasive miniature widefield microscopes can only achieve cellular resolution, and image contrast is compromised by accumulated out-of-focus background signals

So far, novel mTPMs that offer good imaging capabilities and experimental protocols, and are powerful enough for neuroscientists' daily experiments are still to be completed.

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