Laser maker Coherent (NASDAQ: COHR; Santa Clara, CA) has shipped its 2000th Chameleon laser for multiphoton microscopy, which was introduced in 2003. Multiphoton microscopy enables three-dimensional imaging in living specimens and includes two- and three-photon excitation of dyes, genetically expressed fluorescent probes, second- and third-harmonic generation (SHG and THG), and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) imaging.
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Darryl McCoy, product manager for the Chameleon laser, says that deep-tissue multiphoton microscopy applications have driven the laser's growth, especially in neuroscience, where the development of novel, genetically modified proteins has enabled powerful techniques such as optogenetics. Features of the laser for these applications, McCoy says, include a long wavelength and high power to enable deep-tissue images, as well as fast tuning speeds and the ability to smoothly adjust the pulsewidth at the sample for fast scanning microscopes.
