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

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.