Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) – Pulse Shaping

Pulse shaping benefits a variety of Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) illumination configurations by maximizing the resonant signal and/or minimizing the non-resonant signal. In a narrowband CARS configuration, in which the frequency difference between the pump and Stokes pulse is usually scanned, pulse shaping can be used to spectrally modulate the phase of the pump and Stokes pulses [1], [2]. In a broadband CARS configuration, pulse shaping can be used to eliminate the need to overlap three independently shaped beams [3] as well as to suppress the excitation of the non-resonant vibration using coherent control methods [4], [5].