Numerical evaluation of spectral coverage and spectral resolution in coherent Raman scattering spectroscopy using a broadband fiber laser source

We theoretically investigate the feasibility of using a fiber laser source for high resolution and broadband coherent Raman scattering (CRS) spectroscopy/imaging employing spectral focusing technique. To accomplish this task, we have developed a simulation tool where the laser pulse parameters can be imported directly from any pulse propagation software using split-step Fourier method to evaluate the spectral resolution and spectral coverage of CRS spectroscopy. Thus, the simulation tool can accommodate optical pulses of arbitrary shape and central wavelength, being also a user-friendly and versatile open-source software. We validate the numerical simulation tool by comparing its results with published theoretical and experimental data. We then use the tool to study the feasibility of using an all-fiber laser source for high resolution CRS spectroscopy in both the C-H window and the fingerprint region. This tool has a broad scope of applications in multiple fields where CRS spectroscopy is useful such as biomedicine, materials characterization, and biological imaging.