Abstract

We present a new concept for performing stimulated Raman spectroscopy and microscopy by employing rapidly wavelength swept Fourier Domain Mode locked (FDML) lasers [1]. FDML lasers are known for fastest imaging in swept-source optical coherence tomography [2, 3]. We employ this continuous and repetitive wavelength sweep to generate broadband, high resolution stimulated Raman spectra with a new, time-encoded (TICO) concept [4]. This allows for encoding and detecting the stimulated Raman gain on the FDML laser intensity directly in time. Therefore we use actively modulated pump lasers, which are electronically synchronized to the FDML laser, in combination with a fast analog-to-digital converter (ADC) at 1.8 GSamples/s. We present hyperspectral Raman images with color-coded, molecular contrast.

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