Mobius Photonics

SANTA CLARA, Calif., September 30, 2009 - Mobius Photonics, an innovative producer of short pulsed fiber laser sources (IR, green, and UV laser), announces that its G1+ Laser System has been used in stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy experiments at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (Gottingen, Germany). The result was a novel laser source for STED microscopy that should lead to more compact and versatile systems in the coming years.

STED microscopy is a noninvasive microscopy technique that, although relying on laser light focused by regular lenses, images fluorescent samples with a resolution by an order of magnitude better than the diffraction limit set by the wavelength of light. STED microscopy has been the first technique to radically overcome the diffraction barrier of lens-based (far-field) optical microscopy and to be applied in the biomedical sciences. However, its application has been hampered by the availability of suitable light sources, as current technologies are limited by complexity, power, repetition rate, or wavelength. Accordingly, research has focused on developing a system based on a novel laser source that could enhance the technique's capabilities -- specifically, the ability to use fluorescent markers of choice.

"In the past, due to the lack of compact and widely tunable sources, STED systems have focused on markers that emit around 650 nanometers," said Manuel Leonardo, co-founder and vice president of Mobius Photonics. "Max Planck researchers, Brian Rankin and STED inventor Stefan Hell, have now used our G1+ Laser System in an experimental set up that generates multiple wavelengths in the visible region, opening up new possibilities for using a variety of markers. This could be an important step toward more versatile compact STED systems than are available today."

The G1+ Laser System family produces several wavelengths from the IR through the UV. Based on a pulsed master-oscillator, fiber-power-amplifier (MOFPA) architecture, G1+ systems allow diffraction-limited operation over a range of user-adjustable pulse repetition frequencies, pulse widths, and duty cycles.

For more details, please see "STED microscopy with a MHz pulsed stimulated-Raman-scattering source," by Brian R. Rankin and Stefan W. Hell, Optics Express, Vol. 17 Issue 18, pp.15679-15684 (2009). (http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-17-18-15679.

About Mobius Photonics

Founded in 2005, Mobius Photonics, Inc. produces fiber-based laser sources for applications ranging from material processing for solar cell manufacturing, semiconductor fabrication and assembly, and flat panel display manufacturing, to scientific uses such as STED microscopy. The Mobius Photonics team combines in-depth understanding of customer needs with manufacturing experience, and pushes the state-of-the-art by working in close collaboration with suppliers and customers around the world.

For more information, visit www.mobiusphotonics.com or call (408) 496-1084.