Compressive Raman imaging by combining scattering-projection interleaving with context-aware excitation

Exciting an object with a laser-focus array and randomly interleaving its scattering projection has been proved to be an effective strategy for speeding up Raman imaging. The so-called scattering interleaved Raman imaging (SIRI) method allows Raman hyperspectral imaging with a single snapshot and exhibits excellent reconstruction fidelity and signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Here, we show that the performance of SIRI is significantly improved when combined with context-aware excitation. The experiments on micro-plastics demonstrate that the restriction of Raman excitation within a smaller region of interest as guided by bright-field microscopy improves the signal intensity and the SNR, and it is surprising that the spectral resolution is also significantly improved. The context-aware SIRI method is successfully used for imaging of lipid-producing yeast cells, suggesting that it is a promising analytical tool for studying live cells or tissues.