Raman scattering

Type: Concept

As of November 2026, Raman scattering has been mentioned in one podcast episode on Berkeley Lab (Jan 2026). Key technique discussed for imaging cells without fluorescent labels, providing rich chemical information.

In chemistry and physics, Raman scattering or the Raman effect is the inelastic scattering of photons by matter, meaning that there is both an exchange of energy and a change in the light's direction (momentum). Typically this effect involves vibrational energy being gained by a molecule as incident photons from a visible laser are shifted to lower energy. This is called normal Stokes-Raman scattering.