Coherent Raman Scattering Microscopy

Abstract

Coherent Raman Scattering Microscopy is an optical imaging method rooted in Raman Scattering.It involves Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering(CARS) and Stimulated Raman Scattering(SRS).CARS and SRS offer chemical contrast via detecting vibration of chemical bonds.Both CARS and SRS are nonlinear optical processes,offering high sensitivity and 3-dimensional sectioning capability intrinsically.As label-free imaging technologies,CARS and SRS have been employed to observe substance that is hard to label,such as lipids and specific small molecules including metabolites,and large biomolecules including proteins and nucleic acids.These features also ensure CARS and SRS as promising imaging methods for in vivo studies.In this paper,we focus on the principle,methodology,as well as the applications of CARS and SRS microscopies in chemistry and life sciences.