Super-resolution stimulated Raman scattering microscopy enhanced by quantum light and deconvolution

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy is a powerful tool for label-free chemical contrast bio-imaging. However, its spatial resolution is limited by diffraction; its noise level is also fundamentally limited by the shot noise due to the quantum nature of light. In this work, we apply the squeezed light technique associated with the deconvolution method to achieve quantum-enhanced super-resolution SRS microscopy. To generate squeezed pump light, we design a unique cascaded scheme by using two nonlinear crystals, in which the second-harmonic generation (SHG) from the first crystal is used to boost the SHG of the second crystal sequentially. Such a cascaded light squeezed scheme suppresses the shot noise down to 89.7% (1 dB), which can be readily applied to the existing conventional SRS microscopy. We combine the squeezed light-controlled SRS with the Richardson–Lucy deconvolution method to break the diffraction limit by improving the spatial resolution of ∼2.2-fold compared to conventional SRS imaging. We realize the quantum-enhanced super-resolution SRS imaging in a variety of samples (e.g., oleic acid, porcine muscle tissue), suggesting the potential of squeezed light SRS with deconvolution for label-free super-resolution chemical imaging in biological and biomedical systems.