Laser Quantum announce a wavelength extension for the taccor laser

23 Jan 2014

The taccor range of GHz repetition rate femtosecond lasers is proving to show huge advantages to researchers using two-photon microscopy as an imaging method for live cells. By expanding the range of available wavelengths, the taccor can now be used with an increased number of dyes.

The laser used for two-photon microscopy is commonly an ultrafast femtosecond laser emitting in the IR region with a repetition rate in the order of 80MHz. Recently it has been shown that higher pulse rates (in the 1GHz range) have advantages for researchers interested in imaging living cells. The lower peak powers and higher repetition rates result in a reduction in photo damage to the sample and lower photo-bleaching effects, while maintaining image quality compared to the more conventional lasers.

The fluorescence intensity scales quadratically with the illumination intensity, whereas the photo damage increases with an exponent of 2.5 and the bleaching increases cubically. The high repetition rate offered by Laser Quantum’s taccor thus permits a significant increase in observation time before a cell under study is lethally damaged. These studies have reported increased imaging time for living samples of between 5 and 10 times.

With an extension to the range of wavelengths available from the taccor to 920nm, the taccor is now suitable for use with over 95% of commonly used fluorescent dyes.

Find out more: Two Photon Microscopy