A Raman spectroscopy bio-sensor for tissue discrimination in surgical robotics

We report the development of a fiber-based Raman sensor to be used in tumour margin identification during endoluminal robotic surgery. Although this is a generic platform, the sensor we describe was adapted for the ARAKNES (Array of Robots Augmenting the KiNematics of Endoluminal Surgery) robotic platform. On such a platform, the Raman sensor is intended to identify ambiguous tissue margins during robot-assisted surgeries. To maintain sterility of the probe during surgical intervention, a disposable sleeve was specially designed. A straightforward user-compatible interface was implemented where a supervised multivariate classification algorithm was used to classify different tissue types based on specific Raman fingerprints so that it could be used without prior knowledge of spectroscopic data analysis. The protocol avoids inter-patient variability in data and the sensor system is not restricted for use in the classification of a particular tissue type. Representative tissue classification assessments were performed using this system on excised tissue

Broadly tunable femtosecond Tm:Lu2O3 ceramic laser operating around 2070 nm

This work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.Femtosecond mode locking of a Tm-doped Lu2O3 ceramic laser is reported. Transform-limited pulses as short as 180 fs are generated at 2076 nm with an average output power of 400 mW and a pulse repetition frequency of 121.2 MHz. An output power up to 750 mW can be reached at the somewhat longer pulse duration of 382 fs. Femtosecond pulse generation is realized in the 2030-2100 nm spectral range. Passive mode locking was achieved using an ion-implanted InGaAsSb quantum-well-based SESAM.PostprintPeer reviewe

Control and measurement of ultrafast pulses for pump/probe-based metrology

In this thesis the control of ultrafast (10⁻¹³ s) optical pulses used for metrological applications has been investigated. Two different measurement set-ups have been considered, both based around the `pump-probe' technique, where an optical pulse is divided into two parts, one to `pump' or excite a physical system of interest, the other to `probe' or measure the outcome. In both cases the measurement uses electro-optic sampling (EOS), where an electric field is measured by detecting changes in the optical probe pulse polarisation after interaction with the field. In the first study, a method for wavelength metrology in the terahertz (THz) region has been demonstrated by producing an optical pulse shaper and genetic algorithm to control pump pulses and so indirectly influence the THz spectra they generate. In the second study an OPO (optical parametric oscillator) has been developed to provide ultrafast optical pulses for the generation of < 100 fs electrical pulses for metrology using quantum interference control (QUIC). QUIC electrical signals have been demonstrated successfully by charge accumulation measurements and the QUIC electrical pulse temporally measured using EOS, though the low signal levels due to power restrictions mean the QUIC electrical pulse is unsuitable for metrology at this time. Finally, a portable optical pulse measurement device based around frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) has been designed, built and tested. This has been shown to be capable of retrieving amplitude and phase information in both the temporal and spectral domains for optical pulses as short as 20 fs duration. The ability to characterise shaped pulses also has been demonstrated successfully, with the requirements for full automation identified.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Yb-doped femtosecond lasers and their frequency doubling

Ultralow threshold, compact and highly efficient femtosecond lasers based on Yb³⁺ -doped potassium yttrium tungstate (Yb:KYW) and Yb³⁺ -doped vanadium yttrium oxide (Yb:YVO 4 ) have been demonstrated within this PhD-research project. For a continuous wave unmode-locked Yb:KYW laser a threshold as low as 101 mW was obtained with a slope efficiency of 74 %. By employing a single prism for dispersion control, the laser was tunable between 1012 nm to 1069 nm. When operated in the mode-locked regime, this laser produced transform-limited pulses having durations of 210 fs at a central wavelength of 1044 nm. Stable mode locking was observed for an optimised incident pulse fluence on the SESAM between 140 μJ/cm² to 160 μJ/cm² which was 2-3 times higher than the designed energy pulse fluence of the SESAM (70 μJ/cm² ). The employment of several combinations of chirped mirror designs for control of intracavity group velocity dispersion led to excellent results. The threshold for mode locking was satisfied for a pump power of 255 mW where the slope efficiency was measured to be 62 %. This is the most efficient SESAM-assisted femtosecond laser yet reported and the highest optical-to-optical efficiency of 37 % is exceptional. Transform- limited pulses with durations as short as 90 fs were produced in a spectral region centred on 1052 nm. The success of this research thus represents a good foundation on which to design and build more compact configurations that will incorporate just one chirped mirror for dispersion compensation. A relatively high nonlinear refractive index, n₂ , of 15 x 10⁻¹⁶ cm² /W was measured in Yb:YVO 4 and this affords particular potential for this candidate material in Kerr-lens mode locking. In fact, for operation in the femtosecond domain, the threshold power was 190 mW with a slope efficiency of 26 % and near-transform-limited pulses as short as 61 fs were generated at a centre wavelength of 1050 nm. The main objectives in developing this type of laser relate to a demonstration of high peak power operation in thin disc laser configurations. The deployment of a diode-pumped Yb:KYW femtosecond laser as a pump source for frequency doubling in a periodically-poled LiTaO₃ crystal was realised. The maximum realized output power of 150 mW corresponded to an impressive second harmonic conversion efficiency of 43 %. 225-fs duration green pulses (centred at 525 nm) were generated under the condition of strong focusing in the nonlinear crystal.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Ultrashort-pulse generation from quantum-dot semiconductor diode lasers

In this thesis, novel regimes of mode locking in quantum dot semiconductor laser diodes have been investigated by exploiting the unique features offered by quantum dots. Using an unconventional approach, the role of excited state transitions in the quantum dots was exploited as an additional degree of freedom for the mode locking of experimental quantum dot lasers. For the first time, passive mode locking via ground (1260nm) or excited state (1190nm) was demonstrated in a quantum dot laser. Picosecond pulses were generated at a repetition rate of 21GHz and 20.5GHz, for the ground and excited states respectively, with average powers in excess of 25mW. Switching between these two states in the mode-locking regime was achieved by changing the electrical biasing conditions, thus providing full control of the operating spectral band. A novel regime for mode locking in a quantum-dot laser was also investigated, where the simultaneous presence of cw emission in the excited-state band at high injection current levels, dramatically reduced the duration of the pulses generated via the ground state, whilst simultaneously boosting its peak power. This represents a radically different trend from the one typically observed in mode-locked lasers. From this investigation, it was concluded that the role of the excited state can not be neglected in the generation of ultrashort pulses from quantum-dot lasers. Stable passive mode locking of a quantum-dot laser over an extended temperature range (from 20ºC to 80ºC) was also demonstrated at relatively high output average powers. It was observed that the pulse duration and the spectral width decreased significantly as the temperature was increased up to 70ºC. The process of carrier escape in the absorber was identified as the main contributing factor that led to a decrease in the absorber recovery time as a function of increasing temperature which facilitated a decrease in the pulse durations. These results are shown to open the way for the ultimate deployment of ultra stable and uncooled mode-locked semiconductor diode lasers.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceFundação para a Ciência e TecnologiaGBUnited Kingdo

Optical micromanipulation using ultrashort pulsed laser sources

In this thesis two previously separate fields of study are brought together: optical micromanipulation and ultrashort laser research. Here, the benefits of combining the high peak powers of ultrashort pulsed lasers and conventional optical micromanipulation techniques are explored. As optical trapping has been studied extensively, the focus of this research is on optical guiding. Moreover, the emphasis is on the use of Bessel beams as these have been shown to offer greater guiding distances than comparable Gaussian beams. The studies within this thesis show that optical guiding in Bessel and Gaussian beams is governed by the average power of the laser. However, the benefits of guiding with ultrashort pulsed lasers to exploit multi-photon processes become evident as the demonstration of simultaneous optical guiding and second harmonic generation in microscopic nonlinear crystal fragments is detailed. This work is developed by using ultrashort pulses to induce two-photon excitation-induced fluorescence in the guiding medium. This allows direct visualisation of the beam-particle interaction and measurement of the reconstruction of the Bessel beam around an object. Some studies using two-photon excitation to investigate Bessel beam penetration through turbid media are discussed. Finally, the work is concluded by exploring the use of pulsed white-light lasers in optical guiding. The wavelength-dependent propagation and reconstruction properties of the white-light Bessel beam are studied before some preliminary optical guiding experiments are discussed. From this, the broad bandwidth of the supercontinuum source is found to offer extended guiding distances in Gaussian beams thereby negating the need for Bessel beams.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

An extended-cavity diode laser with a circular output beam

We report a compact extended-cavity diode laser producing, directly, 30 mW of near diffraction limited circular output. A laser diode with an integrated microlens is mounted in the Littrow geometry giving 5 GHz of continuous and 5 nm discontinuous tuning around 780 nm. The beat note linewidth of two similar lasers is measured to be 300 kHz. Laser cooling and trapping of rubidium has been performed with this laser geometry. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(00)00510-4].</p