Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS)

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy is a fast, label-free, and sensitive contrast method, able to image the distribution of a vibrational species. SRS is a nonlinear optical process that utilizes two ultrafast laser pulses (the pump and the Stokes pulses) to stimulate the excitation of a molecule into a vibrational excited state with much higher efficiency than a spontaneous Raman experiment. SRS is closely related to coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), because both techniques utilize the same excitation sources and provide similar chemical contrast.