The indispensability of label-free microscopy in rendering detailed cellular observations of biological processes is well-established. This talk introduces an innovative progression in this field towards a super-resolution, label-free microscope that employs an ambient-air, field detector. In this technique, by employing bright, ultra-broadband, femtosecond laser pulses at near petahertz frequencies, molecular vibrations are driven coherently and efficiently. The same laser provides optical pulses with ultrashort duration to directly access and detects the field oscillations of the emitted molecular response in space and time. This novel metrology allows for simultaneous and broadband detection of the entire molecular fingerprint and beyond, with high detection sensitivity, dynamic range, and spatial resolution.
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