Ultralow-Noise Optical Parametric Amplifier for Stimulated Raman Scattering Imaging
We present a 40-MHz ultrafast optical parametric amplifier (OPA), tunable from 0.8 to 1 $\mu$m, with a relative intensity noise (RIN) matching the shot-noise floor (-160 dB/Hz) above 2 MHz. The OPA is pumped by a 20-W Kerr-lens mode-locked Ytterbium laser and seeded by a a supercontinuum generated in an all-normal-dispersion (ANDi) fiber. With an average output power >1.5 W, this compact and simple scheme is an attractive alternative to synchronously-pumped optical parametric oscillators, especially within the context of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) imaging. To illustrate the latter, we perform chemical imaging of vinegar droplets in oil by SRS microscopy.
physics.optics↗