Development of short-pulsed Thulium-doped fibre laser system for fast and deep tissue imaging application

该博士项目旨在开发新一代超快光纤激光器，为人类健康诊断和治疗提供非侵入性、高分辨率、快速和深度3D光学成像。该项目是EPSRC大型合作赠款的一个组成部分，旨在满足我们未来的医疗保健需求。整个项目团队包括从事激光开发、先进计算成像方法（包括人工智能）、新型信号探测器以及来自爱丁堡大学、诺丁汉大学和南安普顿大学的医生。旨在通过使用光（不像x射线是一种安全的非电离形式的辐射）来改善疾病的早期检测，该技术最终应该提供一种快速广泛使用的诊断工具，既可以改善护理，又可以节省未来的成本，例如NHS (http://www.inlightenus.chem.ed.ac.uk/)This项目将主要关注研究：开发飞秒和皮秒脉冲激光器，使用掺铥光纤，工作波长约为2微米，在脉冲参数（持续时间、重复率和能量）方面具有很大的灵活性，并且通过非线性频率转换，允许访问探索和优化成像过程和治疗所需的多个关键波长。软件：还将根据需要研究脉冲激光器与图像扫描和控制系统的集成和同步，以实现高速和深度成像过程。这将需要与致力于开发新型成像技术的其他项目伙伴密切互动。从广义上讲，项目学生所承担的工作将结合实验和模拟，以进一步了解激光及其在医学成像中的应用。

This PhD project aims to develop a new generation of ultra-fast fibre lasers tailored to enable non-invasive, high-resolution, fast and deep 3D optical imaging for human health diagnosis and therapy. The project is an integral part of a large collaborative EPSRC grant looking to fulfil our future healthcare needs. The full project team comprises those working on laser development, advanced computation imaging approaches (including AI), new signal detectors as well as medical doctors from the Universities of Edinburgh, Nottingham and Southampton. Aiming to improve early detection of disease by using light (unlike X-rays a safe non-ionising form of radiation) the technology should ultimately provide a fast widely used diagnostic tool offering both improved care and future cost savings e.g. for example for the NHS (http://www.inlightenus.chem.ed.ac.uk/)This project will focus primarily on the research:Hardware: development of femtosecond and picosecond pulsed lasers operating at wavelengths around 2 micron wavelength by using Thulium doped fibres that offer great flexibility in terms of pulse parameters (duration, repetition rate and energy) and, that through nonlinear frequency conversion, allow access to the multiple key wavelengths needed to explore and optimise imaging process and treatment.Software: Integration of the pulsed lasers and synchronization to the image scanning and control systems will also be studied as needed to achieve high speed and deep imaging process. This will require close interaction with other project partners working on the development of novel imaging techniques.In broad terms, the work undertaken by the project student will combine experiments and simulations to further our understanding of lasers and their use in medical imaging.