Frequency modulation stimulated Raman scattering scheme for real-time background correction with a single light source

Abstract

A frequency modulation (FM) scheme for stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is presented with a single fiber-based light source. Pulse-to-pulse wavelength-switching allows real-time subtraction of parasitic signals leaving only the resonant SRS signal with a noise reduction of up to 30 % compared to digital subtraction schemes, leading effectively to a contrast improvement by a factor of up to 8.3. The wide tuning range of the light source from 1500 cm−1 to 3000 cm−1 and the possibility to separately adjust the resonant and the nonresonant wavenumber for every specimen allow to investigate a variety of samples with high contrast and high signal-to-noise ratio, e. g., for medical diagnostics.

Background signals in stimulated Raman scattering microscopy and current solutions to avoid them

“…For this reason, a system capable of dynamically tuning the spectral separation between the two probed wavenumbers is preferable. More recently, new schemes that allow an easy and dynamic selection of the two FM wavenumbers, by using an acousto-optic tunable filter [73] or by exploiting a fast and widely tunable fiber-based optical parametric oscillator [74] have been presented.…”