Chirped-pulse adiabatic control in coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering for imaging of biological structure and dynamics.

Two novel control methods based on adiabatic passage are proposed to be implemented in coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy for noninvasive imaging of biological structure and dynamics. The first method provides optimal pulse-area control of the resonant vibrational transitions by using a pair of equally linear-chirped pulses. The second method, named the 'roof' method, utilizes the chirp sign variation at the central time and gives robust adiabatic excitation of the resonant vibrational mode. Both methods are robust with respect to suppression of the off-resonant transitions. The methods allow one to achieve chemical sensitivity with high resolution and can be used to obtain CARS spectra of biological molecules with efficiently suppressed background.