Chromacity Lasers Spark 1040 ultrafast laser system for multiphoton microscopy

The Spark 1040 Laser System from Chromacity Lasers is an air-cooled, compact, ultrafast ytterbium fibre-based laser providing high performance with turnkey operation. It is available in two versions, delivering either 500 mW or up to 2.5 W, with picosecond or femtosecond pulse-widths and operating at a wavelength of 1040 nm.

Applications include multiphoton microscopy, light-sheet microscopy, optogenetics imaging experiments, fluorescence measurement of dyes/quantum dots and time-resolved experiments (TCSPC/FLIM).

In multiphoton optogenetics experiments, the product has three key benefits. Inherent 3D resolution allows cells/groups of cells to be imaged at typically micron resolution in the z-axis and a few hundred nm in the XY plane; using a pulse laser source also allows time resolved measurements to be taken. Images can be captured at greater sample depths by the use of 2x or 3x longer wavelengths resulting in a 16x or 81x reduction in scatter as well as an increase in image depth. Photobleaching and photothermal degradation is reduced, allowing in vivo experiments to be more readily accessible.