Surface-Enhanced Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy at 1 MHz Repetition Rates

Abstract

Surface-enhanced femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (SE-FSRS) is an ultrafast Raman technique that combines the sensitivity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering with the temporal resolution of femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS). Here, we present the first successful implementation of SE-FSRS using a 1 MHz amplified femtosecond laser system. We compare SE-FSRS and FSRS spectra measured at 1 MHz and 100 kHz using both equal pump average powers and equal pump energies to demonstrate that higher repetition rates allow spectra with higher signal-to-noise ratios to be obtained at lower pulse energies, a significant advance in the implementation of SE-FSRS. The ability to use lower pulse energies significantly mitigates sample damage that results from plasmonic enhancement of high-energy ultrafast pulses. As a result of the improvements to SE-FSRS developed in this Letter, we believe that SE-FSRS is now poised to become a powerful tool for studying the dynamics of plasmonic materials and adsorbates thereon.