GHz technology: Simple tools, better results

04 Apr 2013

There was once a time when scientific papers could be published based on improvements made to ultrafast oscillators. Small changes to materials or methods that produced shorter pulses, higher powers or greater stability were seen as steps forward in the science and worthy of publication.

Femtosecond pulses are now seen as tools that help obtain results rather than research in their own right. Scientists quite rightly feel they should not need to be experts in oscillator technology as well as the biological sample they are investigating; Neuroscience researchers do not want to spend hours preparing the ultrafast illumination prior to investigating the brain cells that are the real topic of interest.

Additionally, developments in laser technology should make research results better or easier for researchers to obtain, without them needing to attend a course in photonics.

Laser Quantum recently launched the taccor femtosecond laser with a GHz repetition rate. For scientists involved in multiphoton microscopy, GHz repetition rates have been shown to enhance by a factor of ten the time live cells can be imaged by reducing photo-bleaching and photo-toxicity. Being able to image a cell for much longer enables the researcher to test drug reactions over a much longer time period.

The taccor laser from Laser Quantum is a family of hermetically sealed femtosecond lasers with GHz repetition rates that are self-starting and maintenance free. They are essentially a tool to help produce results without the need for an in depth knowledge of ultrafast, femtosecond oscillator operation.

Find out more by following the link.