A 75 MHz Light Source for Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Microscopy

In femtosecond stimulated Raman microscopy (FSRM) a spectrally broad pulse (Raman probe) and a spectrally narrow pulse (Raman pump) interact in a sample and thereby generate a Raman spectrum of the focal volume. Here a novel light source for FSRM is presented. It consists of an 8-fs laser (repetition rate of 75 MHz) operating as Raman probe. A Yb3+ based fiber amplifier generates the Raman pump light at 980 nm. The amplifier is seeded by the spectral wing of the 8-fs laser output which ensures synchronisation of pump and probe pulses. Spectral and temporal characteristics of these pulses are reported and simultaneous recording of broadband Raman spectra relying on these pulses is demonstrated. (c) 2009 Optical Society of America