Advanced laser physics and nonlinear optics: pushing the limits of ultrashort pulse laser sources and nonlinear imaging techniques

先进激光物理和非线性光学：突破超短脉冲激光源和非线性成像技术的极限

• 批准号: 355836-2013
• 负责人: Major, Arkady
• 金额: $ 2.33万
• 依托单位: University of Manitoba
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=633232
• 关键词: Advanced; laser; physics; nonlinear; optics; Advanced; laser; physics; nonlinear; optics

Interaction of extremely short (10^-13 - 10^-15 s) pulses of laser light with matter can produce various optical signals. Each of these secondary signals (or their individual properties such as colour, intensity, directionality, temporal behaviour, etc.) can be used to construct a high resolution image of a sample. Multiple signals can be produced directly by the sample itself or by adding additional chemicals that are called labels. More importantly, each of the generated signals carries specific information about the sample's structure, its structural organization, chemical composition or biochemical properties. Therefore, such laser based imaging technologies when used with live cells or tissues have enormous potential for rapid, sensitive and reliable diagnostics of many diseases at their very early stages of development. This can significantly improve efficiency and outcomes of medical treatments. Unfortunately, penetration of these diagnostic tools into real clinical environment is hampered by the high cost and poor performance of laser sources that produce short pulses of laser light. In addition, toxicity of many chemical labels precludes their use with humans. To address these challenging factors the proposed research program will develop (a) new innovative and cost-effective laser sources; and (b) an advanced laser imaging technique that does not require chemical labels and can simultaneously provide information about several different properties of a sample. These instruments will be developed by 9 graduate students (6 PhDs and 3 MScs) over a 5 year period. The students will receive cutting-edge training in laser, imaging and spectroscopy technologies, optical materials, detector, electronics and high-precision mechanics, data acquisition and analysis. The training will be also offered to highly qualified personnel at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels through supervision of undergraduate thesis and summer projects and collaborative research activities. The new knowledge generated by the proposed research program will make laser-based biomedical diagnostic techniques more powerful, efficient, reliable, cost-effective, and therefore, more mature and attractive for clinical applications.

极度短（10^-13-10^-15 s）激光光与物质的脉冲的相互作用会产生各种光学信号。这些二次信号（或它们的各个属性，例如颜色，强度，方向性，时间行为等）可用于构建样品的高分辨率图像。可以通过样本本身或添加称为标签的其他化学品直接生成多个信号。更重要的是，每个生成的信号都带有有关样品结构，其结构组织，化学组成或生化特性的特定信息。因此，这种基于激光的成像技术在与活细胞或组织一起使用时，在其发育的早期阶段就具有许多疾病的快速，敏感和可靠的诊断。这可以显着提高医疗治疗的效率和结果。不幸的是，这些诊断工具在实际临床环境中的渗透受到激光源的高成本和性能不佳的抑制，从而产生了短暂的激光脉冲。另外，许多化学标签的毒性排除了它们与人类的使用。为了解决这些具有挑战性的因素，拟议的研究计划将开发（a）新的创新且具有成本效益的激光来源； （b）一种不需要化学标签的高级激光成像技术，可以同时提供有关样品的几种不同特性的信息。这些仪器将在5年期间由9名研究生（6个博士学位和3个MSC）开发。学生将接受激光，成像和光谱技术，光学材料，检测器，电子和高精度力学，数据获取和分析的最先进培训。该培训还将通过对本科论文和夏季项目以及协作研究活动的监督，向本科，研究生和研究生级别的高素质人员提供培训。拟议的研究计划产生的新知识将使基于激光的生物医学诊断技术更强大，高效，可靠，具有成本效益，因此对临床应用更加成熟和吸引力。