We study supercontinuum (SC) generation in large-mode-area (LMA) photonic crystal fibers with various core sizes and lengths, pumped by a picosecond Nd:YVO4 laser. Micro-joule level SC pulse energy is achieved, and the spectrum extends beyond 1600 nm, corresponding to an effective Raman detection range over 3000 wavenumbers. A multiplex CARS setup based on the SC source is constructed, and we demonstrate CARS acquisition in air, and compare the signal obtained with different LMA fiber parameters.
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