System and method for providing a tunable optical parametric oscillator laser system that provides dual frequency output for non-linear vibrational spectroscopy and microscopy

1. A system for providing a first electromagnetic field at a first frequency and a second electromagnetic field at a second frequency that is different than the first frequency to vibrational analysis equipment that is responsive to a difference between said first and second frequencies, said system comprising:

a non-linear crystal that may be pumped at a high repetition rate to provide a picosecond pulsed signal field at a signal field frequency and a picosecond pulsed idler field at an idler field frequency as output, said signal field providing said first electromagnetic field and said idler field providing said second electromagnetic field, and wherein said pulsed signal field is collinear with said pulsed idler field upon exiting the system;

tuning means for permitting the difference between said signal field frequency and said idler field frequency to be changed; and

output means for providing the collinear first and second electromagnetic fields to the vibrational analysis equipment.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first electromagnetic field is used as a pump field in a coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) system, and said second electromagnetic field is used as a Stokes field in the CARS system.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said non-linear crystal is pumped with a signal having a wavelength of between about 400 nm and about 700 nm.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said non-linear crystal comprises at least one of potassium titanyl phosphate, lithium niobate, lithium triborate, and lithium tantalate.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said non-liner crystal is a bulk material.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said non-liner crystal is a periodically poled material.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said tuning means includes means for changing the temperature of said non-liner crystal.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said tuning means includes means for changing the angle of incidence of a pump field on the non-linear crystal.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said system includes an optical parametric oscillator cavity.

10. A system for providing a pump field at a first frequency and a Stokes electromagnetic field at a second frequency for a coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering system, said system comprising:

a non-liner crystal within a resonant cavity that may be pumped at a high repetition rate with a signal having a wavelength of between about 400 nm and about 700 nm to provide a pulsed signal field at a signal field frequency and a pulsed idler field at an idler field frequency as output, wherein the resonant cavity is defined by more than two mirrors, and wherein said pulsed signal field is collinear with said pulsed idler field upon exiting the resonant cavity, said signal field providing said pump field and said idler field providing said Stokes field; and

tuning means for changing a difference between the signal field frequency and the idler field frequency such that the difference may provide Raman resonances from about 50 cm −1 to about 3500 cm −1 .

11. The system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said non-linear crystal is pumped with a signal having a wavelength of 532 nm.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said non-linear crystal comprises at least one of potassium titanyl phosphate, lithium niobate, lithium triborate, and lithium tantalate.

13. The system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said non-linear crystal is a bulk material.

14. The system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said non-linear crystal is a periodically poled material.

15. The system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said tuning means includes means for changing the angle of incidence of a pump field on the non-liner crystal.

16. The system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said system includes an optical parametric oscillator cavity.

17. The system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said system is coupled to a microscope for performing coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17 , wherein said system is coupled to said microscope via an optical fiber.

19. A method of providing a first electromagnetic field at a first frequency and a second electromagnetic field at a second frequency that is different than the first frequency to vibrational analysis equipment that is responsive to a difference between said first and second frequencies, said method comprising the steps of:

pumping a non-linear crystal within a laser ring cavity at a high repetition rate to provide a pumped signal field at a signal field frequency and a pumped idler field at an idler field frequency as output, said signal field providing said first electromagnetic field and said idler field providing said second electromagnetic field, wherein said pumped signal field is collinear with said pumped idler field upon exiting the laser ring cavity;

providing said collinear signal and idler fields at a focal area;

tuning said signal field frequency and said idler field frequency such that a difference between said signal field frequency and said idler field frequency at said focal area is changed; and

providing a detected field from the focal area to the vibrational analysis equipment.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19 wherein said first electromagnetic field is used as a pump field in a coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) system, and said second electromagnetic field is used as a Stokes field in the CARS system.

21. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the collinear first and second electromagnetic fields are provided as 3-5 ps pulses generated at an 80 MHz repetition rate.

22. The system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said resonant cavity is defined by four minors.

23. The method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein said method achieves high penetration depths of at least 10 microns in tissue imaging.

24. The method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein said collinear signal and idler fields are provided at high repetition rates of at least 80 MHz.