Frequency modulation stimulated Raman scattering scheme for real-time background correction with a single light source

Biomed Opt Express. 2022 Dec 19;14(1):315-325. doi: 10.1364/BOE.476513. eCollection 2023 Jan 1.

Abstract

A frequency modulation (FM) scheme for stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is presented with a single fiber-based light source. Pulse-to-pulse wavelength-switching allows real-time subtraction of parasitic signals leaving only the resonant SRS signal with a noise reduction of up to 30 % compared to digital subtraction schemes, leading effectively to a contrast improvement by a factor of up to 8.3. The wide tuning range of the light source from 1500 cm-1 to 3000 cm-1 and the possibility to separately adjust the resonant and the nonresonant wavenumber for every specimen allow to investigate a variety of samples with high contrast and high signal-to-noise ratio, e. g., for medical diagnostics.