Patent Document ID: 9285575
Application ID: 12690579
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A microscopy imaging system comprising: a light source system for providing a first train of pulses including a first broadband range of frequency components, and a second train of pulses including a second optical frequency such that a set of differences between the first broadband range of frequency components and the second optical frequency is resonant with a set of vibrational frequencies of a sample in the focal volume, wherein the second train of pulses is synchronized with the first train of pulses; a spectral shaper including a dispersing element for spectrally dispersing frequency components of the broadband range of frequency components, spectrally modifying an optical property of at least some frequency components of the broadband range of frequency components, and spectrally combining using the dispersing element, the modified frequency components such that the broadband range of frequency components is shaped producing a shaped first train of pulses to specifically probe a spectral feature of interest from a sample, and to reduce information from features that are not of interest from the sample; a modulator system for modulating a property of at least one of the shaped first train of pulses and the second train of pulses at a modulation frequency to provide a modulated train of pulses; an optics system for directing and focusing the shaped first train of pulses and the second train of pulses as modulated toward a common focal volume; an optical detector for detecting an integrated intensity of substantially all optical frequency components of a train of pulses of interest transmitted or reflected through the common focal volume; and a processor for detecting a modulation at the modulation frequency of the integrated intensity of substantially all of the optical frequency components of the train of pulses of interest due to the non-linear interaction of the shaped first train of pulses with the second train of pulses as modulated in the common focal volume, and for providing an output signal for a pixel of an image for the microscopy imaging system; wherein only one of the shaped train of laser pulses or the second train of pulses is modulated at the modulation frequency to provide the modulated train of pulses such that the other of the shaped train of laser pulses and the second train of pulses remains a non-modulated train of pulses; wherein the optical detector detects the integrated intensity of substantially all optical frequency components of the non-modulated train of pulses transmitted or reflected through the common focal volume by blocking the modulated train of pulses; and wherein the processor detects a modulation at the modulation frequency of the integrated intensity of substantially all of the optical frequency components of the non-modulated train of pulses due to the non-linear interaction of the modulated train of pulses with the non-modulated train of pulses in the common focal volume.