The aims of the proposed Action are to ascertain scientific exchange between European experts that have significantly contributed to the development of a novel laser-based microscopy method, Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) microscopy, and to establish it among a broader scientific community in nanobiotechnology. The Action has a highly interdisciplinary character: advanced physical light interaction mechanisms will be explored and employed to provide fundamental structural and chemical information on a nano-scale for the benefit of material and life sciences. CARS-microscopy allows visualization of molecules under natural conditions without the need for exogenous markers. Instead, their intrinsic vibrations are probed, carrying information on both molecular composition and physical state. CARS-microscopy is accomplished with exceptionally high 3-D resolution, through thick samples, and with negligible photo-damage thanks to the nonlinear character of the CARS process and probe beams in the near-infrared regime. The Action will demonstrate the potential of CARS-microscopy by compelling applications, involving 3-D mapping of the organization/dynamics of molecules in material and biological nanostructures.
Keywords: nonlinear optics, nano-science, functional imaging, laser-microscopy, Raman spectroscopy
