Replacing a supercontinuum ultrafast fiber laser with tunable outputs in the Visible and NIR and adding a UV source at 375 nm

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This is an application for funds to replace a supercontinuum ultrafast fiber laser with pulsed (6ps fwhm), tunable (up to 8 simultaneous) outputs in the Visible and Near Infrared range of the spectrum, from 450 nm to 1,400 nm. The laser replaces one previously acquired with an NSERC RTI-1 award (2013 competition). The existing unit has failed beyond repair. A trade in of the broken unit has resulted in a 20% discount. We will also incorporate an additional unit with UV output (375 nm). The sources will be integrated to our combined setup for time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC, for ensemble time-resolved measurements) and fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM).******The TCSPC-FLIM setup is the sole turn-key instrument currently available in our department (and to our knowledge on campus) capable of acquiring ensemble emission lifetimes and anisotropy lifetimes. The instrument is used by multiple groups in our department including the applicant, three co-applicants but also and on a regular basis, eight other colleagues within chemistry, and additional colleagues in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, etc. It is further the only equipment of its kind in Montreal, optimized for ensemble lifetime studies, fluorescence lifetime imaging studies and associated single molecule lifetime studies.******The supercontinuum laser source used in our TCSCP and FLIM setup was repaired last December 2018 ($12K cost) and broke shortly after with no possibility to further repair it. The requested Visible-Near Infrared excitation source to replace the broken one, and the addition of a UV source, will enable users to conduct experiments on a wide range of luminescent molecules and nanoparticles/materials whose absorption and emission extends from the UV to the Visible and the Near Infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum from 375 nm to 1,400 nm. The requested pulsed supercontinuum and UV sources will continue empowering a whole new dimension of experiments critical to our research efforts and those of colleagues, enabling studies such as single molecule fluorescence lifetime, lifetime imaging of cells and materials, ensemble fluorescence lifetime and ensemble anisotropy lifetime experiments among others. ******The setup is physically located in the Department of Chemistry at McGill University. Replacing the supercontinuum ultrafast fiber laser with tunable outputs is absolutely essential to the research of the applicant and colleagues at McGill and elsewhere. In respect to the regular users, the instrument supports research programs in semiconductor quantum dots, biomaterials, nanomaterials for fluorescence upconversion, novel sensors and reporters, biophysical studies on protein-DNA interactions, research into free radical sensors, and cell imaging, among others.**