Potential of optical parametric oscillators in medicine

Optical parametric oscillators offer extremely large tuning ranges from the ultra violet to the mid-infrared with high pump to output conversion efficiencies and providing continuous or pulsed operation from nanosecond to femtosecond domains. These sources have many potential applications in medicine in diagnostic techniques, selective laser induced fluorescence and tunable source therapeutics. We present various cavity architectures from narrow bandwidth, low power devices to high power extraction and amplification with a view to assessing the potential of the OPO in medicine.