若手のショートレビュー

白色レーザーを用いた非線形ラマン分光イメージング

Nonlinear Raman Spectroscopic Imaging Using a
White Light Laser Source

加納英明
Hideaki KANO

コヒーレント・アンチストークス・ラマン散乱 (CARS)は，微弱なラマン散乱光を増幅し，生細胞内の分子分布やそのダイナミクスを，非染色・非侵襲・非破壊で高速に可視化することのできる，非常に強力な方法である．本稿では，スペクトルとイメージを取得することのできる，CARSを基盤とした新しい非線形ラマン分光イメージング法について，その特徴と応用例などを紹介する．

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy and microspectroscopy have become powerful techniques for three-dimensional vibrational imaging of chemical and biological systems. Recently, a significant progress has been made of multiplex CARS microspectroscopy, in which a spectral coverage broader than 3500 cm^-1 has been achieved using a white-light laser source. In the present study, we have used a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) to generate a white-light laser and used it as the Stokes light source in the CARS process. Owing to an ultrabroadband spectral profile of the white-light laser, a wide range of the vibrational resonances can be investigated. In the present study, we have performed label-free, multi-color imaging of biological samples using multiplex CARS microspectroscopy.

Keywords: Coherent anti-Stokes Raman Scattering, CARS, microscopy, microspectroscopy, photonic crystal fiber, supercontinuum, white-light laser, living cell