Robust Multiplex CARS Microscope based on Photonic Crystal Fibre Supercontinuum

We present the successful implementation of a robust broadband multiplex (MCARS) microscope based on photonic crystal fiber supercontinuum. Our design, based on a selected combination of interference filters for spectral manipulation and beam combining offers a most efficient use of the available laser energy for imaging. In addition, we show how data processing employing an evolutionary algorithm can be used to obtain very high contrast chemical maps from the hyperspectral data, even for chemical components with heavily overlapping spectral signatures. This procedure also allows a fully quantitative analysis of the MCARS images.