http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/Laser-beam-sharing-via-multi-mode-fibers-tp7584037p7584049.html
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I appreciate the help quite a lot.
fiber vibrations. As mentioned by a few others, the speckled intensity
the fiber vibrates. From my college days, I seem to recall that spatial
cavities. Could vibrations of the fiber result in something similar,
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> Depending on how straight the run between the rooms is, you might be able
> to run a beam tube across the hallway in the ceiling and do it free space
> with a periscope. This would save you the headaches of fiber coupling and
> reduce any long-term stability issues. I'm guessing you are not up for that
> level of 'infrastructure modification' though, so the multimode fiber may
> be the way to go. Try to match the design wavelength of your optics as best
> as you can to the wavelength of your laser. Assuming you have a
> monochromatic source, you can get away with simpler, cheaper optics by
> using single-wavelength components. If your laser is a common wavelength
> these should be easy to get.
>
> Craig
>
> On Thu, Jul 30, 2015 at 9:59 AM, João Lagarto <
[hidden email]> wrote:
>
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>> Hi Kyle,
>> I don't know if this is a problem for you but in case you have a pulsed
>> laser, the fibre will also cause temporal dispersion of the pulses. This
>> may be a problem for time-critical applications such as FLIM.
>> João
>>
>>
>> Às 08:25 de 30/07/2015, Kyle Douglass escreveu:
>>
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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
>>>
>>>
Kyle M. Douglass, PhD