Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026

08:49
Multimodal Nonlinear Hyperspectral Chemical Imaging Using Line-Scanning Vibrational Sum-Frequency Generation Microscopy
Published on: December 1, 2023
Rapid vibrational imaging with sum frequency generation microscopy
Varun Raghunathan1, Yang Han, Olaf Korth
1Department of Chemistry, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California 92627-2025, USA.
Optics Letters
|October 4, 2011
Summary
We developed rapid vibrational imaging using sum frequency generation (SFG) microscopy. This technique achieves high-resolution imaging of collagen fibers and is compatible with other nonlinear optical methods.
Area of Science:
- Nonlinear Optics
- Microscopy
- Biomedical Imaging
Background:
- Sum Frequency Generation (SFG) microscopy is a powerful vibrational spectroscopy technique.
- Previous SFG microscopy methods faced limitations in speed and resolution.
- Imaging biological tissues requires high resolution and specificity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate rapid vibrational imaging using SFG microscopy.
- To achieve submicrometer lateral resolution for imaging biological structures.
- To show the compatibility of SFG microscopy with other nonlinear optical modalities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a collinear excitation geometry for SFG microscopy.
- Employed tunable picosecond pulses from a high-repetition-rate optical parametric oscillator.
- Integrated simultaneous SFG and second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging.
Main Results:
- Achieved vibrationally selective imaging of collagen fibers with submicrometer lateral resolution.
- Demonstrated the rapid imaging capability of the developed SFG microscope.
- Confirmed the compatibility of the microscope with SHG imaging.
Conclusions:
- The developed SFG microscopy enables rapid, high-resolution vibrational imaging.
- The technique is suitable for specific imaging of biomolecules like collagen.
- The system's compatibility with other nonlinear modalities enhances its versatility.
Related Concept Videos
Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy
Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRFM) provides a better resolution than conventional fluorescence microscopy by reducing the point spread function (PSF). PSF is the light intensity distribution from a point that causes it to appear blurred. Due to PSF, each fluorescing point appears bigger than its actual size, and it is the PSF interference of nearby fluorophores that causes the blurred image. Various approaches to achieving higher resolution through SRFM have recently been developed.
Atomic Force Microscopy
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a type of scanning probe microscopy that can analyze topographic details of various specimens like ceramics, glass, polymers, and biological samples. AFM offers over 1000 times more resolution than the optical imaging system. Images generated from AFM are three-dimensional surface profiles, offering an advantage over the flat, two-dimensional images from other imaging techniques.
The AFM Probe
The probe is regarded as the heart of any AFM setup and comprises the...
The AFM Probe
The probe is regarded as the heart of any AFM setup and comprises the...
Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy
Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy or TIRF is an advanced microscopic technique used to visualize fluorophores in samples close to a solid surface with a higher refractive index, such as a glass coverslip. TIRF only allows fluorophores in proximity to the solid surface to be excited. When light from a medium with a lower refractive index (such as air) hits the glass coverslip at a critical angle, the light undergoes total internal reflection stead of passing through the glass.
Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy
Confocal microscopy is an advanced microscopic technique. The prime advantage of the confocal microscope over other microscopy techniques is its ability to block the out-of-focus light from the illuminated samples using pinholes. It is widely used with fluorescence optics to obtain high-resolution, sharp contrast images. Unlike optical microscopes, confocal microscopes use a focused beam of light laser to scan the entire sample surface at different z-planes. These microscopes are, therefore,...

