title: Heterodyne coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) imaging.
abstract: We have achieved rapid nonlinear vibrational imaging free of nonresonant background with heterodyne coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) interferometric microscopy. This technique completely separates the real and imaginary responses of nonlinear susceptibility chi(3) and yields a signal that is linear in the concentration of vibrational modes. We show that heterodyne CARS microscopy permits the detection of weak vibrational resonances that are otherwise overshadowed by the strong interference of the nonresonant background.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Eric O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Potma
authors.forename: Conor L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: X Sunney
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008027:Light; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods*; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*