ScanCARS is a hardware-control and data acquisition software program created to acquire hyperspectral data. More specifically, the software is used to acquire spectral interferometric polarisation coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (SIPCARS) signals.
This GUI software is built to acquire hyperspectral data in a microscope-based experimental setup. It's original purpose is to acquire spectral interferometric polarized coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (SIPCARS) hyperspectral data.
Hyperspectral acquisition using ScanCARS requires an Andor scientific camera, an open-loop configured microscope stage controlled using a NI DAQ card and a Princeton Instruments Isoplane spectrometer.
ScanCARS is only configured to work with Windows, though the code can be modified to work with linux/macOS provided that the relevant Andor driver has been purchased. The software has been tested with the following instrument models:
-
Andor iXon 897 and Andor Newton DU920P
Controlled using a custom python API to the Andor SDK -
Princeton Instruments Isoplane SCT-320
Controlled by treating the USB connection as a COM port
ScanCARS is Qt based and written in python. An API to the Andor software development kit written in python is provided (scancars/sdk/andor) and, for reference, it has been modified from here. The openly available nidaqmx package developed by NI is not provided but can be acquired from here.
The following python packages are required:
- numpy
- pyqtgraph
- PyQt5
- h5py
- pyvisa
- nidaqmx
File are stored in the hierarchical data format (HDF5), a format used to store multidimensional data.
- Spectral data: .h5 file
- Hyperspectral data: .h5 file
