Fifth Harmonic and Five-Photon Excitation Fluorescence Multiphoton Microscopy

We report the application of fifth order nonlinear optical processes for multiphoton microscopy, including fifth harmonic and 5-photon excitation fluorescence. This novel imaging modality has been characterized with spectral and power dependence measurements. The advantages of fifth harmonic and 5-photon excitation fluorescence imaging are higher resolution and use of longer wavelength excitation sources, which may allow deeper penetration depth, while still exciting near-UV to blue fluorophores. This imaging modality may find interesting applications in biological research, materials characterization, geologic studies, and semiconductor manufacturing.