Raman based techniques are used to investigate physical and chemical processes on a spatial scale down to hundreds of nanometers and on a time scale down to hundreds of femtoseconds. Combining this spectroscopic method with a scanning microscope technique enables images with chemical contrast. This is an extremely powerful tool to characterise a huge variety of samples. Information about molecular species and their spatial distribution is gained without destroying the sample in the process and without the need of staining the sample.

However, the Raman scattering process is a rather inefficient one. Thus, improvements of Raman based imaging techniques are implemented by utilizing different enhancement mechanisms (e.g Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering – SERS, Tip Enhanced Raman Scattering – TERS, Resonance Raman Spectroscopy – RRS).

A huge leap forward to achieve ‘real-time’ video-rate imaging with chemical contrast is made possible by applying nonlinear light scattering processes (Coherent anti-Stokes Raman Scattering – CARS, Third Harmonic Generation – THG, Stimulated Raman Scattering – SRS).

Raman Scattering 
Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering and Tip Enhanced Raman Scattering 
Coherent anti-Stokes Raman Scattering – CARS

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