title: Spatial-spectral coupling in coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy.
abstract: Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy is a third-order nonlinear optical technique which permits label-free, molecule-specific hyperspectral imaging. The interference between coherent resonant and non-resonant terms leads to well known distortions in the vibrational spectrum, requiring the use of retrieval algorithms. It also leads to spatial imaging distortions, largely due to the Gouy phase, when objects are smaller than the Rayleigh range. Here we consider that the focal position and spectral contributions to the nonlinear image formation are intrinsically coupled and cannot be corrected by conventional retrieval methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON, Canada. abarlow@uottawa.ca
authors.forename: Aaron M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Barlow
authors.forename: Konstantin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Popov
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andreana
authors.forename: Douglas J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Moffatt
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ridsdale
authors.forename: Aaron D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Slepkov
authors.forename: James L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Harden
authors.forename: Lora
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ramunno
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stolow