Coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) lets us see things that are too small for us to see with our eyes. CARS shines a light on a sample and measures the energy of the light that comes back from the sample. This energy tells us what kind of atoms and molecules are in the sample. This is like asking the sample a question and listening to what comes back. By asking and listening, scientists can learn lots of things about samples that can tell us things like what kind of medicine we need to take, or what kind of food we should buy.