Programmable hyperspectral coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy via ultrafast pulse shaping

Hyperspectral imaging is often performed with long acquisition times, collecting single-wavelength images one-by-one. In order to significantly speed up and improve the efficiency of hyperspectral coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy, hyperspectral excitation envelopes can be designed with various spectral and temporal properties and/or tailored to target specific biochemical signatures. Here, we present programmable multispectral coherent Raman scattering microscopy using phase- and amplitude-based pulse shaping with a 2D spatial light modulator. Results indicate that this method can significantly improve the separability and signal-to-noise ratio in biological samples and phantoms with faster acquisition than conventional hyperspectral sweeping.