Dual-focus coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy using a compact two-beam fiber laser source

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Microscopy
• Laser Technology

Background:

• Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy offers label-free vibrational contrast imaging.
• Existing CARS microscopy setups can be limited by image acquisition speed.
• Dual-beam scanning and demultiplexed detection strategies have shown promise in other optical microscopy techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a dual-focus CARS microscope for enhanced imaging speed.
• To adapt time-multiplexed, two-beam scanning for CARS microscopy.
• To utilize a compact, all-fiber laser source for CARS imaging.

Main Methods:

• A dual-output, compact fiber laser source was reconfigured to provide two outputs, each with the necessary wavelengths for CARS.
• Time-multiplexed, two-beam scanning and demultiplexed detection principles were applied to the CARS setup.
• The dual-focus CARS microscope was tested on human artery tissue samples.

Main Results:

• The developed dual-focus CARS microscope successfully enabled simultaneous imaging of two separated fields of view.
• The system demonstrated an inherent speeding up of the image acquisition process.
• Robustness and practical utility were shown on biological tissue samples.

Conclusions:

• The dual-focus CARS microscope design based on a dual-output fiber laser is effective for rapid, label-free imaging.
• This approach significantly enhances imaging efficiency by allowing simultaneous acquisition from multiple regions.
• The technology holds potential for accelerated investigation of biological tissues.