Posted by
George McNamara on
URL: http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/Laser-beam-sharing-via-multi-mode-fibers-tp7584037p7584041.html
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Hi Kyle,
It would be a lot simple to just split the power between the two with a
50/50% beamsplitter.
One of the replies mentioned using a polarizing beamsplitter - that
assumes the laser output is not polarized at the location of the splitter.
Robert H. Chow, USC, has two or more microscopes driven from a single
Argon ion laser.
This paper (or same group in other papers) may have useful advice:
Optics clustered to output unique solutions: a multi-*laser* facility
for combined single molecule and ensemble microscopy.
<
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21974592>
Clarke DT, Botchway SW, Coles BC, Needham SR, Roberts SK, Rolfe DJ,
Tynan CJ, Ward AD, Webb SE, Yadav R, Zanetti-Domingues L,
Martin-Fernandez ML.
Rev Sci Instrum. 2011 Sep;82(9):093705. doi: 10.1063/1.3635536.
PMID:
21974592
Optics clustered to output unique solutions (OCTOPUS) is a microscopy
platform that combines single molecule and ensemble imaging
methodologies. A novel aspect of OCTOPUS is its laser excitation system,
which consists of a central core of interlocked continuous wave and
pulsed laser sources, launched into optical fibres and linked via laser
combiners. Fibres are plugged into wall-mounted patch panels that reach
microscopy end-stations in adjacent rooms. This allows multiple
tailor-made combinations of laser colours and time characteristics to be
shared by different end-stations minimising the need for laser
duplications. This setup brings significant benefits in terms of cost
effectiveness, ease of operation, and user safety. The modular nature of
OCTOPUS also facilitates the addition of new techniques as required,
allowing the use of existing lasers in new microscopes while retaining
the ability to run the established parts of the facility. To date,
techniques interlinked are multi-photon/multicolour confocal
fluorescence lifetime imaging for several modalities of fluorescence
resonance energy transfer (FRET) and time-resolved anisotropy, total
internal reflection fluorescence, single molecule imaging of single pair
FRET, single molecule fluorescence polarisation, particle tracking, and
optical tweezers. Here, we use a well-studied system, the epidermal
growth factor receptor network, to illustrate how OCTOPUS can aid in the
investigation of complex biological phenomena.
PMID:
21974592
If you cannot find the paper easily online, the corresponding author's
contact information is available at
http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/rsi/82/9/10.1063/1.3635536enjoy,
George
On 7/30/2015 2:25 AM, Kyle Douglass wrote:
> *****
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>
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> *****
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> In my lab we have two microscope setups in two different rooms
> separated by a hallway between them. One of our microscopes has a
> free-space laser that must remain in place; however, I would like to
> use this laser with the microscope located in the other room while
> maintaining its ability to be used with its current microscope. Both
> microscopes accept free-space beams as inputs for fluorescence
> microscopy in an epi-illumination geometry.
>
> I am considering the following solution: introduce a flipper mirror
> before the fixed laser to allow me to switch between a path that would
> send the beam into its current microscope and another path that would
> couple the beam into a long multi-mode fiber. I would then run the
> fiber above the ceiling panels between the labs and onto the table of
> the other setup, where the output light would be collimated and
> introduced like normal into the other microscope. I do not require a
> single-mode beam for the second microscope. In fact, I am proposing to
> use a multi-mode beam to achieve a better power coupling efficiency
> into the fiber and to prevent burning the fiber cladding by allowing
> for larger focal spot sizes when coupling. I also am not concerned
> about the speckle on the sample since I am averaging over multiple
> speckle patterns during the acquisition of a single frame.
>
> My primary concern is the stability of the input and output couplers.
> The microscopes are used by people with little optics experience and
> this solution must be as easy as possible to switch between the two
> paths. Ideally, the only action required would be to flip the mirror
> up or down (after the initial alignment, of course).
>
> Here are my questions:
> 1. Has anyone tried such an approach with satisfactory results and
> would be willing to comment?
> 2. Would vibration of the fiber significantly affect its propagation
> direction upon leaving the output coupler?
> 3. Would a "standard" flipper mirror or magnetic mount have sufficient
> return accuracy to avoid having to adjust the input coupler alignment
> every time we switched between microscopes?
> 4. Is there another obvious solution I am missing?
>
> Thanks for the responses!
> Kyle
>
--
George McNamara, Ph.D.
Single Cells Analyst
L.J.N. Cooper Lab
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX 77054
Tattletales
http://works.bepress.com/gmcnamara/42