Multiphoton imaging with blue-diode-pumped SESAM-modelocked Ti: sapphire oscillator generating 5 nJ 82 fs pulses

We report a directly blue diode pumped Ti: Sapphire oscillator that generates 5 nJ pulses. This is five times higher pulse energy than previously reported for a directly diode pumped Ti: sapphire laser. With 460 mW of average power at 92 MHz and 82 fs pulses, its peak power reaches 61 kW, also several times higher the value than previously published. Direct diode pumping significantly reduces the complexity and therefore the footprint and the cost of the laser, while SESAM modelocking ensures reliable selfstarting and robust operation. Such a laser is ideally suited for biomedical imaging and nanostructuring applications. As a demonstration of sufficient peak power for microscopy applications, we perform different modalities of nonlinear microscopy of biological samples. (C) 2017 Optical Society of America