Fiber-delivered picosecond source for coherent Raman scattering imaging

We demonstrate a two-color, fiber-delivered picosecond source for coherent Raman scattering (CRS) imaging. The wavelength-tunable picosecond pump is generated by nonlinear spectral compression of a prechirped femtosecond pulse from a mode-locked titanium:sapphire (Ti:S) laser. The 1064?nm picosecond Stokes pulse is generated by an all-fiber time-lens source that is synchronized to the Ti:S laser. The pump and Stokes beams are combined in an optical fiber coupler, which serves not only as the delivery fiber but also as the nonlinear medium for spectral compression of the femtosecond pulse. CRS imaging of mouse skin is performed to demonstrate the practicality of this source.