A microscopy system that includes a first laser emitting a first laser pulse along a first beam line, the first laser pulse being converted into an annular Bessel 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 annular Bessel pump beam and the probe beam being delivered to a sample at right angles to each other allowing the annular Bessel 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.

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.

A system is provided. The system has a femtosecond oscillator to generate pulses used for pump and probe beams. A photonic crystal fiber is disposed in a path of the probe beam and produces pulses for a chirped probe beam. A high NA objective receives the pump and the chirped probe beam, redirects the received beams through a dielectric substrate towards an interface between a sample and the dielectric substrate to cause total internal reflection (TIR) at the sample-substrate interface, and produces corresponding evanescent waves in a portion of the sample adjacent to the sample-substrate interface, and collects a backward-propagating beam of pulses of responsive light. The portion of the sample illuminated by the evanescent waves emits responsive light. The dielectric substrate is transparent to the responsive light, the pump and the chirped probe beam. An image is produced having a specific image size using the received backward-propagating beam.

A hand-held microfluidic testing device is provided that includes a housing having a cartridge receiving port, a cartridge for input to the cartridge receiving port having a sample input and a channel, where the channel includes a mixture of Raman-scattering nanoparticles and a calibration solution, where the calibration solution includes chemical compounds capable of interacting with a sample under test input to the cartridge and the Raman-scattering nanoparticles, and an optical detection system in the housing, where the optical detection system is capable of providing an illuminated electric field, where the illuminating electric field is capable of being used for Raman spectroscopy with the Raman-scattering nanoparticles and the calibration solution to analyze the sample under test input to the cartridge.

A hand-held microfluidic testing device is provided that includes a housing having a cartridge receiving port, a cartridge for input to the cartridge receiving port having a sample input and a channel, where the channel includes a mixture of Raman-scattering nanoparticles and a calibration solution, where the calibration solution includes chemical compounds capable of interacting with a sample under test input to the cartridge and the Raman-scattering nanoparticles, and an optical detection system in the housing, where the optical detection system is capable of providing an illuminated electric field, where the illuminating electric field is capable of being used for Raman spectroscopy with the Raman-scattering nanoparticles and the calibration solution to analyze the sample under test input to the cartridge.

A system for automated collection of Raman spectra from ex-vivo tissue samples is provided. The system may comprise a cartesian robot that moves a detachable Raman probe to points on the ex-vivo tissue sample that have been predetermined through a 3D image of the sample. Accordingly, methods of rapid acquisition of multiple Raman spectra from a heterogeneous tissue sample are provided. The inventive methods consider variable contours of the sample to provide Raman spectra from multiple points while generating optimal coverage of the sample. The inventive methods include cleaning the Raman probe between acquisitions of Raman spectra from the multiple points.

Systems and methods here may be used for automated capturing and analyzing spectrometer data of multiple sample gemstones on a stage, including mapping digital camera image data of samples, applying a Raman Probe to a first sample gemstone under evaluation on the stage, receiving spectrometer data of the sample gemstone from the probe, automatically moving the stage to a second sample, using the image data, and analyzing the other samples.

Disclosed herein include a photoactivatable vibrational probe, when photoactivated, capable of forming a Raman probe for detection by Raman scattering. In some embodiments, the photoactivatable vibrational probe has a structure of Formula I. Disclosed herein also includes methods of using the photoactivatable vibrational probe for live-cell multiplexed imaging and tracking.

Systems and methods here may be used for automated capturing and analyzing spectrometer data of multiple sample gemstones on a stage, including mapping digital camera image data of samples, applying a Raman Probe to a first sample gemstone under evaluation on the stage, receiving spectrometer data of the sample gemstone from the probe, automatically moving the stage to a second sample, using the image data, and analyzing the other samples.

Provided is a digital surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing platform which allows quantitative detection of a substance to be detected reliably and reproducibly with an excellent limit of detection in a large dynamic range, including: a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active reagent which includes Raman active particles including a spherical plasmonic metal core, a plasmonic metal shell having a surface unevenness, and a self-assembled monolayer including a Raman reporter positioned between the core and the shell; a Raman spectroscopic detection unit which performs Raman mapping based on a Raman spectrum which is detected by irradiating the active reagent with an excitation light; and a digital signal analysis unit which analyzes a quantitative detection signal of a substance to be detected by a combination of a Raman signal intensity calculated from the Raman spectrum and a digital count calculated from the Raman mapping.