Super-sensitivity multiphoton frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy

We present a series of experiments that demonstrate a super-sensitive chemical imaging technique based on multiphoton frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (MPM-FD-FLIM) that shows a 2× improvement in imaging speed compared to the theoretical limit of conventional MPM-FD-FLIM. Additionally, this technique produces unprecedented sensitivity over a large range of fluorescence lifetimes. These results are achieved through simple modifications to data analysis in a conventional MPM-FD-FLIM microscope and are based on an analytical model describing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a MPM-FD-FLIM system [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A33, B1 (2016)]. Here we experimentally validate this model.