CARS microscopy with dark field excitation

We use coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) for functional imaging in microscopy. In contrast to other methods, excitation and detection are performed in a wide-field (non-confocal) setup, similar to a combination of dark field and epi-fluorescence microscopy. Thus, imaging of the whole sample is performed at once, i.e. without scanning, which promises the possibility of fast microscopy with vibrational contrast. The use of a nanosecond laser system rather than typically used pico- or femtosecond systems facilitates a high spectroscopic resolution for various organic substances.