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

这是一项基金申请，用于在450 nm至1，400 nm的可见光和近红外光谱范围内用脉冲（6ps fwhm）可调谐（最多8个同时）输出取代超连续超快光纤激光器。该激光器取代了之前获得NSERC RTI-1奖（2013年竞赛）的激光器。现有的设备已经无法修复。以旧换新的坏货打了八折。我们还将纳入一个额外的单位与紫外线输出（375 nm）。这些光源将集成到我们的组合装置中，用于时间相关单光子计数（TCSPC，用于系综时间分辨测量）和荧光寿命成像（FLIM）。该TCSPC FLIM设置是唯一的交钥匙仪器目前在我们的部门（和我们的知识在校园）能够获得合奏发射寿命和各向异性寿命。该仪器由我们部门的多个小组使用，包括申请人，三名共同申请人，但也定期，化学领域的其他八名同事，以及化学工程，生物工程，生物医学工程等其他同事。荧光寿命成像研究和相关的单分子寿命研究。我们的TCSCP和FLIM装置中使用的超连续谱激光源于2018年12月进行了维修（12000美元的成本），并打破后不久，没有进一步修复的可能性。要求可见-近红外激发源，以取代破碎的一个，并增加了紫外线源，将使用户能够对各种发光分子和纳米颗粒进行实验，吸收和发射范围从紫外线到可见光以及电磁光谱的近红外线范围从375 nm到1，400 nm的材料。所要求的脉冲超连续谱和紫外光源将继续为我们和同事的研究工作提供一个全新的实验维度，使单分子荧光寿命，细胞和材料的寿命成像，系综荧光寿命和系综各向异性寿命实验等研究成为可能。* 该装置实际位于麦吉尔大学化学系。用可调谐输出取代超连续超快光纤激光器对申请人及其在麦吉尔和其他地方的同事的研究绝对至关重要。对于普通用户，该仪器支持半导体量子点，生物材料，荧光上转换纳米材料，新型传感器和报告员，蛋白质-DNA相互作用的生物物理研究，自由基传感器研究和细胞成像等研究项目。

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.**