The “Nonlinear Microscopy” facility is based on a Zeiss Axio Observer Z1, fully motorized inverted microscope, which is coupled with tunable fs laser excitation source modules (660nm-5000nm) and dual beam, dual raster-scanning modules, accompanied with 5 simultaneous detection channels (in both forward and backwards detection geometries).

The polarization states of the excitation beams, as well of the polarization states of the detected nonlinear signals are fully controlled by combination of motorized retardation plates and polarizers.

This allows the application of the state-of-the-art, advanced imaging techniques, namely Polarization-resolved Second Harmonic Generation and Polarization-resolved Third-harmonic (P-SHG and P-THG, respectively) imaging microscopies.

Along with theoretical tools that are based on nonlinear optics, the description and the interpretation of the produced nonlinear signals is offering insight at the nanoscale for the samples under examination.

The facility is further offering nonlinear microscopic imaging under cryogenic conditions (i.e. at 78°-300K°). This is accomplished by placing a cryostat in a special holder, at the sample plane of the nonlinear microscope.