Coherent anti-stokes Raman holography for chemically selective single-shot nonscanning 3D imaging

We propose and develop a new way for nonscanning coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) imaging by using CARS holography, which can capture, at a single shot, both the amplitude and the phase of a coherent Raman image. It hence allows for chemically selective three-dimensional imaging at a laser pulse duration limited speed, which is not possible to achieve by using any of the existing laser scanning based Raman imaging techniques. We have demonstrated single-shot (pulse duration: ∼5ns) holographic CARS imaging of microspheres. Our results show that coherent anti-Stokes Raman holography can open a new path for nonscanning label-free imaging. © 2010 The American Physical Society.