Robust supercontinuum generation using an yttrium aluminum garnet crystal for multimodal label-free multiphoton microscopy

Nonlinear microscopy encompasses a range of imaging techniques that leverage laser technology to reveal the chemical composition and structure of a sample. Nonlinear microscopes exploit femtosecond laser pulses to target intrinsic biomolecules of cells and tissues. Fiber lasers have limited bandwidth and reduced wavelength tunability, leading to long pulse durations and limited molecular applications. Supercontinuum generation solves this problem, enabling <50 fs pulses and a larger range of molecular excitation. This paper presents nonlinear microscopy with supercontinuum generation from a Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (YAG) crystal enabling simultaneous label-free autofluorescence multi-harmonic (SLAM) microscopy with high resolution and specificity in biological tissues.