Hiroyuki Kawagoe

Development of a high power supercontinuum source in the 1.7 μm wavelength region for highly penetrative ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography

We developed a high power supercontinuum source at a center wavelength of 1.7 μm to demonstrate highly penetrative ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT). A single-wall carbon nanotube dispersed in polyimide film was used as a transparent saturable absorber in the cavity configuration and a high-repetition-rate ultrashort-pulse fiber laser was realized. The developed SC source had an output power of 60 mW, a bandwidth of 242 nm full-width at half maximum, and a repetition rate of 110 MHz. The average power and repetition rate were approximately twice as large as those of our previous SC source [20]. Using the developed SC source, UHR-OCT imaging was demonstrated. A sensitivity of 105 dB and an axial resolution of 3.2 μm in biological tissue were achieved. We compared the UHR-OCT images of some biological tissue samples measured with the developed SC source, the previous one, and one operating in the 1.3 μm wavelength region. We confirmed that the developed SC source had improved sensitivity and penetration depth for low-water-absorption samples.

High-speed ultrahigh-resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography using high-power supercontinuum at 0.8 µm wavelength

We demonstrated high-speed ultrahigh-resolution (UHR) optical coherence tomography (OCT) in the 800 nm wavelength region. A high-power coherent supercontinuum (SC) and a high-speed line scan camera were used to construct a spectral domain OCT. The axial resolution was 3.1 µm in air and 2.3 µm in tissue. The dependence of sensitivity on the SC power and A-scan rate was examined. For the A-scan rate of 70 kHz, the sensitivity of 104 dB was achieved for the SC power higher than 60 mW. High-speed in vivo UHR-OCT imaging was demonstrated for zebrafish embryo and swimming medaka.

Optical coherence microscopy in 1700 nm spectral band for high-resolution label-free deep-tissue imaging

Optical coherence microscopy (OCM) is a label-free, high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and confocal microscopy. Here, we report that the 1700-nm spectral band has the great potential to improve the imaging depth in high-resolution OCM imaging of animal tissues. Recent studies to improve the imaging depth in OCT revealed that the 1700-nm spectral band is a promising choice for imaging turbid scattering tissues due to the low attenuation of light in the wavelength region. In this study, we developed high-resolution OCM by using a high-power supercontinuum source in the 1700-nm spectral band, and compared the attenuation of signal-to-noise ratio between the 1700-nm and 1300-nm OCM imaging of a mouse brain under the condition of the same sensitivity. The comparison clearly showed that the 1700-nm OCM provides larger imaging depth than the 1300-nm OCM. In this 1700-nm OCM, the lateral resolution of 1.3 μm and the axial resolution of 2.8 μm, when a refractive index was assumed to be 1.38, was achieved.

Supercontinuum generation for ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography at wavelength of 0.8 µm using carbon nanotube fiber laser and similariton amplifier

We demonstrated supercontinuum (SC) generation for ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT) in the 0.8 µm wavelength region using an ultrashort-pulse fiber laser system. An Er-doped ultrashort-pulse fiber laser with single-wall carbon nanotubes was developed as the seed pulse source. A 46 fs, highest quality, pedestal-free, clean, ultrashort pulse was generated with a similariton amplifier. Then, a 60 fs ideal ultrashort pulse was generated at a wavelength of 0.8 µm with a second-harmonic generation (SHG) crystal, and a Gaussian-like SC was generated in a photonic crystal fiber. UHR-OCT was demonstrated using the generated SC, and precise images of a biological sample were observed.

High-resolution and deep-tissue imaging with full-range, ultrahigh-resolution spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in 1.7 μm wavelength region(Conference Presentation)

We developed full-range, ultrahigh-resolution (UHR) spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in 1.7 um wavelength region for high-resolution and deep-penetration OCT imaging of turbid tissues. To realize an ultrahigh axial resolution, the ultra-broadband supercontinuum source at 1.7 um wavelength with a spectral width of 0.4 um at FWHM and home-built spectrometer with a detection range from 1.4 to 2.0 um were employed. Consequently, we achieved the axial resolution of 3.6 um in tissue (a refractive index n = 1.38). To observe deep regions of turbid tissues while keeping the ultrahigh axial resolution, a full-range OCT method to eliminate a coherent ghost image was utilized for our UHR-SD-OCT. Because the full-range method allows us to avoid the formation of a coherent ghost image when the zero delay position is in the inside of specimens, we set the zero delay position to the laser focus position in this study, and then, a region of interest in specimens was moved to the laser focus position where the highest signal intensity is achieved, resulting in the improvement of the observation depth. Thanks to the deep-penetration property of the 1.7 um light and elimination of a ghost image, we successfully demonstrated the visualization of the mouse brain structures at a depth over 1.5 mm from the surface with the 1.7 um UHR-SD-OCT. In this experiment, we confirmed that the brain specific structures, such as corpus callosum, pyramidal cell layer, and hippocampus, were clearly observed.

Optical coherence microscopy in 1700-nm spectral band for high-resolution deep-tissue imaging (Conference Presentation)

Optical coherence microscopy (OCM) is a high-resolution imaging technique based on optical coherence tomography and confocal microscopy. The recent studies on OCM operating at 800-1300 nm spectral region have shown that OCM enables to visualize micrometer- or sub-micrometer-scale structures of animal tissues. Although OCMs offers such high-resolution label-free imaging capability of animal tissues, the imaging depth was restricted by multiple light scattering and light absorption of water in samples. Here, for high-resolution deep-tissue imaging, we developed an OCM in the 1700-nm spectral band by using a supercontinuum (SC) source with a Gaussian-like spectral shape in the wavelength region. Recently, it has been reported that the 1700-nm spectral band is a promising choice for enhancing the imaging depth in the observation of turbid scattering tissues because of the low attenuation coefficient of light. In this study, to clarify that the 1700-nm OCM has a potential to realize the enhanced imaging depth, we compared the attenuation of the signal-to-noise ratio between the 1700-nm and 1300-nm OCM imaging of a mouse brain under the same signal detection sensitivity condition. The result shows that the 1700-nm OCM enables us to achieve the enhanced imaging depth. In this 1700-nm OCM, we also confirmed that the lateral resolution of 1.3 µm and axial resolution of 2.8 µm in tissue were achieved.

Axial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio in deep-tissue imaging with 1.7 - μ m high-resolution optical coherence tomography with an ultrabroadband laser source

We investigated the axial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) characteristics in deep-tissue imaging by 1.7-μm optical coherence tomography (OCT) with the axial resolution of 4.3  μm in tissue. Because 1.7-μm OCT requires a light source with a spectral width of more than 300 nm full-width at half maximum to achieve such high resolution, the axial resolution in the tissue might be degraded by spectral distortion and chromatic dispersion mismatching between the sample and reference arms. In addition, degradation of the axial resolution would also lead to reduced SNR. Here, we quantitatively evaluated the degradation of the axial resolution and the resulting decrease in SNR by measuring interference signals through a lipid mixture serving as a turbid tissue phantom with large scattering and absorption coefficients. Although the axial resolution was reduced by a factor of ∼6 after passing through a 2-mm-thick tissue phantom, our result clearly showed that compensation of the dispersion mismatching allowed us to achieve an axial resolution of 4.3  μm in tissue and improve the SNR by ∼5  dB compared with the case where dispersion mismatching was not compensated. This improvement was also confirmed in the observation of a hamster’s cheek pouch in a buffer solution.

Ultrahigh-resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography in 1.7 um wavelength region

We developed ultrahigh-resolution, high speed, spectral domain optical coherence tomography with supercontinuum source at 1.7 um wavelength. By applying a full-range method, high axial resolution of 4.7 um and extended imaging depth were realized simultaneously.

High-power supercontinuum generation using high-repetition-rate ultrashort-pulse fiber laser for ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography in 1600 nm spectral band

We describe the generation of a high-power, spectrally smooth supercontinuum (SC) in the 1600 nm spectral band for ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT). A clean SC was achieved by using a highly nonlinear fiber with normal dispersion properties and a high-quality pedestal-free pulse obtained from a passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser operating at 182 MHz. The center wavelength and spectral width were 1578 and 172 nm, respectively. The output power of the SC was 51 mW. Using the developed SC source, we demonstrated UHR-OCT imaging of biological samples with a sensitivity of 109 dB and an axial resolution of 4.9 µm in tissue.

Full-range ultrahigh-resolution spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in 1.7 µm wavelength region for deep-penetration and high-resolution imaging of turbid tissues

For the first time, we developed a full-range ultrahigh-resolution (UHR) spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) technique working in the 1.7 µm wavelength region. This technique allowed high-resolution, deep-tissue imaging. By using a supercontinuum source operating at a wavelength of 1.7 µm, an axial resolution of 3.6 µm in a tissue specimen was achieved. To enhance the imaging depth of UHR-SD-OCT, we performed full-range OCT imaging based on a phase modulation method. We demonstrated the three-dimensional (3D) imaging of a mouse brain with the developed system, and specific structures in the mouse brain were clearly visualized at depths up to 1.7 mm.