Abstract

The use of femtosecond pulsed excitation in microscopy permits the application of nonlinear optical techniques to microscopic studies of biological samples. Among the these techniques, the method of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) is particularly promising for biological imaging since it allows spectrally selective probing for specific biochemical species without the need for extrinsic makers ¹ In order to perform spectrally resolved CARS microscopy, a multicolour tunable coherent lightsource is required. Due to the non-linear nature of the signal generating process, the signal yield would benefit from high peak powers whereas at the sample a low dose (low average power) is wanted. Furthermore, high repetition rates would significantly enhance the image acquisition times.

© 2000 IEEE