There are provided a substrate including a three-dimensional (3D) nanoplasmonic composite structure, a method of fabricating the same, and a rapid analysis method using the same. More specifically, there are provided a substrate including a 3D plasmonic-nanostructure/target-molecule composite thin film composed of an analyte and a plasmonic nanostructure and formed by applying a voltage to a plasmonic electrode in an electrochemical cell including an analyte and a metal precursor to induce an analyte molecule on the electrode and performing electrochemical deposition (or electrodeposition), a method of fabricating the same, and a rapid analysis method using the same.

Improved stimulated Raman spectroscopy is provided by replacing the Stokes (or anti-Stokes) optical source with a localized electromagnetic emitter that is excited with a non-electromagnetic excitation. Such a localized emitter can be an efficient Stokes (or anti-Stokes) source for stimulated Raman spectroscopy, and can also provide deep sub-wavelength spatial resolution. In a preferred embodiment, an electron beam from an electron microscope is used to excite the localized emitter. This provides combined Raman imaging and electron microscopy that has the two imaging modalities inherently registered with each other.

A microscopy system that includes a first laser emitting a first laser pulse along a first beam line, the first laser pulse being a Gaussian pump beam; and a second laser emitting a second laser pulse along a second beam line, the second laser pulse being a probe beam, the Gaussian pump beam and the probe beam being delivered to a sample at right angles to each other allowing the Gaussian pump beam to shrink a focal axial diameter of the second beam line thereby enabling dipole-like backscatter stimulated emission along the second beam line.

Exemplary computer-accessible medium, systems, and methods are described herein which can provide an excited fluorescence radiation. In accordance with certain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, an excited fluorescence radiation can be provided using a beam of a probe so as to excite a molecule to an excited state for a fluorescence emission to effectuate the excited fluorescence radiation. The molecule can be detected based on the fluorescence emission. For example, the beam of the probe can be either the near-infrared spectrum or the visible light spectrum.

Structures and methods for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) are presented. In some embodiments, a SERS structure includes a ground plate with a spacer layer disposed thereon. A first plurality of metallic nanostructures is disposed on the spacer layer such that a portion of the spacer layer is exposed in gaps formed between the nanostructures of the first plurality of metallic nanostructures. In some embodiments, a first metallic layer is annealed to form the first plurality of metallic nanostructures. A second plurality of metallic nanostructures is disposed on the spacer layer in the gaps of the first plurality of metallic nanostructures. In some embodiments, a second metallic layer is annealed to form the second plurality of metallic nanostructures.

A system includes a laser (1) operative to emit a light beam, a beam splitter (2) arranged to split the light beam into a first beam and a second beam, the first beam being directed to a nonlinear converter (8) that generates a signal beam having a Stokes-shifted wavelength, a recombiner (9) arranged to recombine the signal beam with the second beam to form a recombined beam which is directed to a tapered optical fiber (5) located within a material to be monitored, and a detector (7) arranged to detect light emitted by the tapered optical fiber (5) and which uses stimulated Raman spectroscopy to detect a chemical in the material.

A method of measuring a polarization response of a sample (1), in particular a biological sample, comprises the steps of generating a sequence of excitation waves (2), irradiating the sample (1) with the sequence of excitation waves (2), including an interaction of the excitation waves (2) with the sample (1), so that a sequence of sample waves (3) is generated each including a superposition of a sample main pulse and a sample global molecular fingerprint (GMF) wave (E.sub.GMF(sample)(t)), irradiating a reference sample (1A) with the sequence of excitation waves (2), including an interaction of the excitation waves (2) with the reference sample (1A), so that a sequence of reference waves (3A) is generated each including a superposition of a reference main pulse and a reference GMF wave (E.sub.GMF(ref)(t)), optically separating a difference of the sample waves (3) and reference waves (3A) from GMF wave contributions which are common to both of the sample waves (3) and reference waves (3A) in space and/or time, and detecting the difference of the sample waves (3) and the reference waves (3A) and determining a temporal amplitude of differential molecular fingerprint (dMF) waves (ΔE.sub.GMF) (4) each comprising the difference of the sample and reference GMF waves. Furthermore, as a spectroscopic apparatus for measuring a polarization response of a sample (1) is described.

According to one aspect, the present description relates to a device for detecting an SRS resonant non-linear optical signal induced in a sample. The device comprises a light source configured for emitting a first train of pump pulses at a first angular frequency and a second train of Stokes pulses at a Stokes second angular frequency, and first and second amplitude modulators configured to amplitude modulate the train of pump pulses at a first modulation frequency and the train of Stokes pulses at a second modulation frequency different from the first modulation frequency, respectively. The device further comprises optomechanical means for making interact in the sample said amplitude-modulated trains of pump and Stokes pulses, means for optical detection of first and second non-linear optical signals at the first angular frequency and second angular frequency, respectively, and means of synchronous detection of the first and second optical signals at said second modulation frequency and at the first modulation frequency, respectively, allowing an SRL first signal and an SRG second signal that are characteristic of the molecular vibrational resonance of the sample to be extracted.

A microscope having three-dimensional imaging capability and a three-dimensional microscopic imaging method are provided, the microscope including: at least one excitation device configured to generate a detectable contrast in a detection target region of a sample which is to be detected, in an excitation principal axis direction; at least one detection device, configured to detect the contrast as generated from the detection target region of the sample in a detection principal axis; and at least one movement mechanism, configured to generate a relative movement of the sample relative to the excitation device and the detection device; the relative movement is in a direction neither parallel to nor perpendicular to the excitation principal axis direction or the detection principal axis direction.

There is provided an apparatus including a chip containing metal bodies capable of exciting localized surface plasmon resonance at a first surface, and an analyzer unit that performs a scan of the first surface of the chip, in a state where the first surface is in contact with a sample, with a laser in at least a one-dimensional direction and records scattered light, which has been enhanced at the first surface, in association with the scan. The chip includes a substrate, a first layer where concave and convex structures are repeatedly provided on the first surface of the substrate; and a second layer that contains the metal bodies and is provided via the first layer.