Time-stretch high-speed microscopic imaging system based on temporally and spectrally shaped amplified spontaneous emission

In this Letter, a time-stretch high-speed microscopic imaging system based on temporally and spectrally shaped amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. We significantly reduced the complexity and cost of the light source by applying ASE in the time-stretch microscopic imaging system. Furthermore, by slicing and preprocessing the spectrum of the ASE with a Fabry-Perot (F-P) filter, the random intensity vibration of the ASE can be significantly suppressed, which would notably simplify the image recovery process afterward. The resolution of the proposed system is better than 35 μm and the effective 1D scan rate could reach 50 MHz.