Coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) of thev 3 band of methane in supersonic molecular beams

Supersonic molecular beams of methane are investigated in the expansion region using coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS). Raman spectra of thev ₃ vibration with resolved rotational structure at low temperatures are reported. Comparison with calculated CARS spectra shows that the rotational distribution in the beam may be well described by a Boltzmann distribution. Temperatures are the same for all three nuclear spin modifications within the experimental error.     

Heterodyne coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) imaging

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.     

Coherent anti-Stokes resonance Raman scattering

The intensity of coherent anti-Stokes resonance Raman scattering (CARRS) is calculated taking into account the resonant absorption of laser and anti-Stokes waves and changes in the molecule population. The resonant absorption causes an alteration of the phase of the laser wave leading to a decrease and periodic behaviour of the anti-Stokes intensity. This phase change can be compensated by the choice of a definite wave vector mismatchK, which determines the optimum condition for the CARRS. The optimum angle between the Stokes and the laser propagation direction and the optimum cell length are calculated. The line shape of the CARRS is discussed and used for the explanation of the observed dependence of the CARRS spectra on the laser intensity and the frequency and on the molecule number density. In the case of a O-O excitation the vibrational frequencies of the ground and the excited level are generated simultaneously in the CARRS spectra.     

High-sensitivity vibrational imaging with frequency modulation coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (FM CARS) microscopy

We demonstrate a new approach to coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy that significantly increases the detection sensitivity. CARS signals are generated by collinearly overlapped, tightly focused, and raster scanned pump and Stokes laser beams, whose difference frequency is rapidly modulated. The resulting amplitude modulation of the CARS signal is detected through a lock-in amplifier. This scheme efficiently suppresses the nonresonant background and allows for the detection of far fewer vibrational oscillators than possible through existing CARS microscopy methods.     

Coherent anti-Stokes resonance Raman scattering of excited molecules

A theoretical investigation of the coherent anti-Stokes resonance Raman scattering (CARRS) of excited molecules is given. The calculation of the anti-Stokes intensity predicts the simultaneous appearance of the vibrational frequencies of the ground and the excited electronic state in the CARRS spectra. The line shape of these spectra and the optimum conditions for the anti-Stokes amplification are discussed.     

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering in silicon nanowire ensembles

In this letter, we, for the first time, report on coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy of an ensemble of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) formed by wet chemical etching of crystalline silicon with a mask of silver nanoparticles. The fabricated SiNWs have diameter ranged from 30 to 200 nm and demonstrate both visible and infrared photolumine cence (PL) and spontaneous Raman signal, with their intensities depending on presence of silver nanoparticles in SiNWs. The efficiency of CARS in SiNW ensembles is found to be significantly higher than that in crystalline silicon. The results of CARS and PL measurements are explained in terms of resonant excitation of the electron states attributed to silicon nanoparticles.     

Fourier transform spectral interferometric coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (FTSI-CARS) spectroscopy

A novel Fourier transform spectral interferometric (FTSI) multiplex coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) technique is developed to extract the vibrational spectrum equivalent to the spontaneous Raman scattering. The conventional FTSI method is modified to use the internal nonresonant CARS signal as a local oscillator to perform spectral interferometry. Utilizing the causality of the coherent vibration (i.e., there should be no signal before the laser excitation), this new FTSI method recovers the entire complex vibrational spectral parameters. We demonstrate this technique with a previously reported single-pulse multiplex CARS method that uses a single phase-controlled broadband ultrafast laser pulse.     

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering velocimetry with nearly degenerate pumps

The time evolution of the anti-Stokes signal produced from the non-linear interaction of a short Stokes pulse and two long pump pulses that are nearly degenerate in frequency has been investigated. It is shown that this approach allows us to specify the accuracy of CARS (coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering) velocimetry and to extend the range of operation of the method. In addition, an original optical scheme capable of delivering short visible pulses with good spatial and spectral properties is reported. The optical bench has been used for the characterisation of a low-pressure laminar Mach-10 flow. Received: 24 October 2001 / Revised version: 8 January 2002 / Published online: 14 March 2002     

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering and normal anti-Stokes Raman scattering due to LO phonons in GaP using cw diode lasers

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and normal anti-Stokes Raman scattering (NARS) have been measured in (001) GaP at room temperature due to the 403 cm⁻¹ LO phonons using a continuous wave (CW) 785.0 nm fixed-wavelength pump laser and a CW Stokes laser tunable in the 800-830 nm wavelength range. CARS measurements are normally made using pulsed lasers. The use of CW diode lasers allows a more accurate comparison between the measured and calculated values of the CARS signal. The pump and Stokes laser beams were linearly polarized perpendicular to each other, same as the pump and normal Stokes/anti-Stokes scattered light for the GaP sample used in this work. The pump and Stokes laser powers incident upon the GaP sample, located in the focal plane of a 20 mm effective focal length lens, were <20 and 50 mW, respectively. The diameter of the laser beams in the focal plane of the focusing lens was determined to 40±5 μm. The pump and Stokes laser beam intensities incident upon the 0.3 mm thick GaP sample were <2 and 5 kW cm², respectively. The powers of the CARS and NARS signals were measured using a Raman spectrometer. The signal output of the Raman spectrometer was calibrated using the pump laser and several neutral density filters. The Raman linewidth (full-width at half-maximum) of the LO phonons was determined to be 0.95±0.05 cm⁻¹, using the variation of the CARS signal with the wavelength of the Stokes laser. The measured powers of the CARS and NARS signals are about a factor of 5 and 1.5, respectively, smaller than those calculated from the corresponding theoretical expressions.     

Femtosecond phase-and-polarization control for background-free coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy

Phase-and-polarization coherent control is applied to control the nonlinear response of a quantum system. We use it to obtain high-resolution background-free single-pulse coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectra. The ability to control both the spectral phase and the spectral polarization enables measurement of a specific off-diagonal susceptibility tensor element while exploiting the different spectral response of the resonant Raman signal and the nonresonant background to achieve maximal background suppression.     

液相硝基甲烷分子振动特性的相干反斯托克斯拉曼散射光谱

构建时间分辨相干反斯托克斯拉曼散射（CARS）光谱系统,从微观层次研究硝基甲烷的分子相干振动动力学特性.实验中采用超连续白光作为斯托克斯光,通过调整斯托克斯光的时间延迟,得到不同振动模式的CARS光谱.通过对振动弛豫曲线的拟合,获得硝基甲烷分子不同振动模式的振动失相时间.结果表明C–H键伸缩振动比C–N键伸缩振动更容易受热声子的影响.在热加载下,硝基甲烷分子的C–H键有望首先被激发并引起初始化学反应.     

Temperature measurements in reacting flows by time-resolved femtosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (fs-CARS) spectroscopy

Time-resolved femtosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (fs-CARS) spectroscopy of the nitrogen molecule is used for the measurement of temperature in atmospheric-pressure, near-adiabatic, hydrogen-air diffusion flames. The initial frequency-spread dephasing rate of the Raman coherence induced by the ultrafast (∼85 fs) Stokes and pump beams is used as a measure of gas-phase temperature. This initial frequency-spread dephasing rate of the Raman coherence is completely independent of collisions and depends only on the frequency spread of the Raman transitions at different temperatures. A simple theoretical model based on the assumption of impulsive excitation of Raman coherence is used to extract temperatures from time-resolved fs-CARS experimental signals. The extracted temperatures from fs-CARS signals are in excellent agreement with the theoretical temperatures calculated from an adiabatic equilibrium calculation. The estimated absolute accuracy and the precision of the measurement technique are found to be ±40 K and ±50 K, respectively, over the temperature range 1500-2500 K.     

Compact fibre-based coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectroscopy and interferometric coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering from a single femtosecond fibre-laser oscillator

We demonstrate a new approach to CARS spectroscopy by efficiently synthesizing synchronized narrow-bandwidth (less than 10 cm⁻¹) pump and Stokes pulses (frequency difference continuously tunable upto ≈3000 cm⁻¹) based on spectral compression together with second harmonic generation (in periodically-poled nonlinear crystals) of femtosecond pulses emitted by a single compact Er-fibre oscillator. For a far better signal to non-resonant background contrast, interferometric CARS (I-CARS) is demonstrated and CARS signal enhancement upto three orders of magnitude is achieved by constructive interference with an auxiliary local oscillator at anti-Stokes field, also synthesized by spectral compression of pulses emitted from the same fibre oscillator.     

Combined coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy and linear Raman spectroscopy for simultaneous temperature and multiple species measurements

The simultaneous application of pure rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) and vibrational linear Raman spectroscopy (LRS) for the measurement of temperature and species concentrations in combustion systems is demonstrated. In addition to the standard rotational CARS experimental setup, only one detection system (spectrometer and intensified CCD camera) for the collection of the LRS signals was applied. The emission of the broadband dye laser used for CARS was shifted to the deep red to avoid interferences with the LRS signals located in the visible region. First experimental results from a vaporizing propane spray using an engine injection system are shown.     

Interferometric polarization coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (IP-CARS) microscopy

We report a novel interferometry-based polarization coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (IP-CARS) implementation for effectively suppressing the nonresonant background while significantly amplifying the resonant signal for vibrational imaging. By modulating the phase difference between the two interference CARS signals generated from the same sample and measuring the peak-to-peak intensity of the periodically modulated interference CARS signal, the IP-CARS technique yields a sixfold improvement in the signal-to-background ratio compared with conventional CARS while providing an approximately 20-fold amplification of the resonant CARS signal compared with conventional polarization CARS. We demonstrate this method by imaging 4.69 microm polystyrene beads and unstained human epithelial cells immersed in water.     

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy with a photonic crystal fiber based light source

A coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscope based on a Ti:sapphire femtosecond oscillator and a photonic crystal fiber is demonstrated. The nonlinear response of the fiber is used to generate the additional wavelength needed in the Raman process. The applicability of the setup is demonstrated by imaging of micrometer-sized polystyrene beads.     

Application of an optical pulse stretcher to coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy

An external optical cavity pulse stretcher for nanosecond-long laser pulses has been applied to coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS). An increased signal-to-noise ratio was achieved for both vibrational and pure rotational CARS, while the power density of the laser beams remained constant. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the use of the pulse stretcher also leads to improved precision of the determined temperatures and concentrations as a result of repeated excitation of the dye laser.     

Multipoint temperature and oxygen-concentration measurements using rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy

A novel technique for coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) measurements in multiple points is presented. With a system of cylindrical lenses, each laser beam is split into several focused beams, yielding separate planar boxcars configurations. Spectrally resolved CARS signals are detected at different heights on the CCD chip. With dual-broadband rotational CARS the setup is demonstrated for quantitative measurements of temperature- and oxygen-concentration profiles. The technique was demonstrated for three points only, but it can be extended to more points by use of special optics; this choice must be based on a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio in all points for the actual measurement condition.