High-order multiphoton fluorescence of organic molecules in solution by intense femtosecond laser pulses

The five and possibly seven-photon fluorescence was observed for organic molecules in solution for the first time. A high-intensity laser enabled us to measure the properties of the high and any-order processes, and the emission could be directly visualized by the eye. These results showed that the common two-photon microscope could be upgraded to the higher order multiphoton microscope by choosing suitable excitation wavelengths. The multiphoton absorption cross sections differed by a factor of 10(33) as the order of the multiphoton process increased.