Two-photon imaging with 15-fs pulses and third-harmonic microscopy imaging techniques

Summary form only given. We have shown that it is possible to produce very short pulses at the focus of a high-NA system. These pulses have been used to produce real-time two-photon images, without the aid of an additional amplifier. The third harmonic is shown to be a useful tool for characterizing the pulse within these systems and to be of sufficient strength that it can be used as an imaging tool as well. The characteristics of the third-harmonic imaging are undergoing further investigation so that this method can be exploited as efficiently as possible.