Wide-field photoacoustic microscopy with a fiber laser ultrasound sensor

A compact fiber grating laser has been exploited as an ultrasound sensor to probe optically induced spherical elastic waves, taking advantage of its response in beat-frequency variation of the laser output. Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) is further implemented with such a sensor by raster scanning the excitation light with a 2-axis galvo scanner. A PAM image of mouse ear with a field width of 2 mm is demonstrated. The wide field-of-view of the sensor allows the implementation of fast-scanning PAMs which is attractive for in vivo imaging applications.