Research Projects

The proposed work aims to develop quantum light sources, including entangled photon pair and squeezed photon sources, for nonlinear optical microscopy applications. The integration of these sources with a nonlinear optical microscopy system will demonstrate and quantify improvements in sensitivity and precision for imaging applications. Proof-of-concept experiments will be conducted with nanostructure and biological samples to demonstrate the utility of the improved sensitivity for practical imaging applications.

The production of entangled and squeezed photons will be investigated using optical parametric amplification (OPA) and periodically poled crystals (PPC). The quality of the entanglement will be characterized to determine its usefulness for nonlinear optical microscopy experiments. The quantum entangled photon pair source and squeezed light source will be integrated with an existing nonlinear optical microscope system, enabling label-free imaging of biological samples. Quantum-enhanced nonlinear optical microscopy techniques, such as coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and second harmonic generation (SHG), can overcome limitations of traditional microscopy methods, allowing visualization and analysis of individual biomolecules with high precision and sensitivity.