title: Focus-engineered coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy: a numerical investigation.
abstract: The coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) signal is calculated as a function of focal-field distributions with engineered phase jumps. We show that the focal fields in CARS microscopy can be shaped such that the signal from the bulk is suppressed in the forward detection mode. We present the field distributions that display enhanced sensitivity to vibrationally resonant object interfaces in the lateral dimension. The use of focus-engineered CARS provides a simple means to detect chemical edges against the strong background signals from the bulk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Beckman Laser Institute, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA.
authors.forename: Vishnu Vardhan
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Krishnamachari
authors.forename: Eric Olaf
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Potma
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009716:Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*