Total internal reflection enabled wide-field coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy

Journal Article · 28 May 2020 · Optics Letters

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.390699 · OSTI ID:1631503

Doughty, Benjamin ; Premadasa, Uvinduni I.; Cahill, John F.; Webb, Amber B.; Morrell-Falvey, Jennifer L.; Khalid, Muneeba; Retterer, Scott T.; Ma, Ying-Zhong

Wide-field coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy offers an attractive means for the rapid and simultaneous acquisition of vibrationally resolved images across a large field of view. A major challenge in the implementation lies in how to achieve sufficiently strong excitation fields necessary to drive the third-order optical responses over the large focal region. Here, we report a new wide-field CARS microscope enabled by a total internal reflection excitation scheme using a femtosecond Ti:Sapphire oscillator to generate pump and broadband near-infrared Stokes pulses. The spectrally broad Stokes pulse, in combination with its inherent chirp, offers not only access to a wide range of Raman modes spanning $\sim \; <\#comment/>1000$ to $\sim \; <\#comment/>3500{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{-\; <\#comment/>1}$ but also a straightforward means to select vibrational transitions within this range by simply varying the time delay between the pulses. The unique capabilities of this wide-field CARS microscope were validated by acquiring high-quality CARS images from the model and complex biological samples on conventional microscope coverslips.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
• OSTI ID: 1631503
• Journal Information: Optics Letters, Journal Name: Optics Letters Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 45; ISSN 0146-9592; ISSN OPLEDP
• Publisher: Optical Society of AmericaCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English