Molecular dynamics in low vibrational states investigated by fs time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy technique

The molecular dynamics process is investigated in this paper using a broadband fs time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) technique. By varying the timing of laser pulses, low vibrational states are started and studied on both the electronically excited B(³Π_0u⁺) state and ground X(¹Σ_0g⁺) state of iodine in the gas phase at room temperature. According to change the pump wavelength or Stokes pulse as well as the wavelength of the detection window for the CARS signal, dynamics on different potential-energy surfaces can be accessed and detected by the CARS spectroscopy. Results show that the period of the oscillation is decreased for the excited B(³Π_0u⁺) state as the wavelength of the pump pulses is increased, while it is increased for the ground X(¹Σ_0g⁺) state with the increase of the Stokes wavelength.     

Ultrafast time-resolved coherent degenerate four-wave-mixing spectroscopy for investigating molecular dynamics in different states

In this paper, ultrafast time-resolved coherent degenerate four-wave-mixing (DFWM) spectroscopy is performed to investigate molecular dynamics in the gaseous phase. Laser pulses lasting for 40 fs are used to create and monitor different vibrational eigenstates of iodine at room temperature (corresponding to a low saturation pressure of about 35 Pa). Using an internal time delay in the DFWM process resonant with the transition between the ground X-state and the excited B-state, the vibrational states of both the electronically excited and the ground states are detected as oscillations in the DFWM transient signal. The dynamics of either the electronically excited or ground state of iodine molecules obtained are consistent with the previous high temperature studies on the femtosecond time-resolved DWFM spectroscopy.     

Multipoint temperature and oxygen-concentration measurements using rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy

A novel technique for coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) measurements in multiple points is presented. With a system of cylindrical lenses, each laser beam is split into several focused beams, yielding separate planar boxcars configurations. Spectrally resolved CARS signals are detected at different heights on the CCD chip. With dual-broadband rotational CARS the setup is demonstrated for quantitative measurements of temperature- and oxygen-concentration profiles. The technique was demonstrated for three points only, but it can be extended to more points by use of special optics; this choice must be based on a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio in all points for the actual measurement condition.     

Limiting temporal and spectral resolution in spectroscopy and microscopy of coherent Raman scattering with chirped ultrashort laser pulses

Chirped ultrashort light pulses offer new options for coherent nonlinear spectroscopy and microscopy. We show here that the temporal resolution of spectroscopy and microscopy based on coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) can be smoothly tuned within a broad range, with upper and lower bounds of this range controlled by the pump and probe pulse durations. The spectral resolution of CARS spectroscopy and microscopy is analyzed as a function of the duration and chirp of the pump pulses. Pulses with a periodic phase modulation can provide the limiting spectral resolution of the CARS technique, corresponding to the lower bound of uncertainty in spectral measurements, dictated by the uncertainty principle.     

Wave packet dynamics in different electronic states investigated by femtosecond time-resolved four-wave-mixing spectroscopy

This paper reviews results on wave packet dynamics investigated by means of femtosecond time-resolved four-wave-mixing (FWM) spectroscopy. First, it is shown that by making use of the various degrees of freedom which are offered by this technique information about molecular dynamics on different potential-energy surfaces can be accessed and separated from each other. By varying the timing, polarization, and wavelengths of the laser pulses as well as the wavelength of the detection window for the FWM signal, different dynamics are coherently excited and probed by the nonlinear spectroscopy. As a model system we use iodine in the gas phase. These techniques are then applied to more-complex molecules (gas phase: benzene, toluene, a binary mixture of benzene and toluene; solid state: polymers of diacetylene matrix-isolated in single crystals of monomer molecules). Here, ground-state dynamics are investigated first without any involvement of electronically excited states and then in electronic resonance to an absorption transition in the investigated molecules. Signal modulations result which are due to wave packet motion as well as polarization beats between modes in different molecules. Phase and intensity changes yield information about intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution, population decay (T₁), phase relaxation (T₂), and coherence times. Received: 12 October 1999 / Published online: 13 July 2000     

激发态Cs2和H2的电子-振转能级的碰撞转移

利用相干反斯托克斯拉曼光谱(CARS)探测技术, 研究了激发态Cs2与H2间的电子-振转能级的碰撞转移。用波长为532 nm和中心波长为716 nm的两束激光同时聚焦到样品池中, 扫描CARS谱确认了H2分子的S支(△v =1, △J=2)仅在v=1, J=4,5及v=2, J=3,4能级上有布居, 用n1、n2、n3、n4分别表示(2,4)、(2,3)、(1,4)及(1,5)上的粒子数密度。从CARS线的峰值得到n2/n1、n3/n1、n4/n1分别为6.34±1.27、3.66±0.73和1.45±0.29。转移能配置到振动、转动和平动的比例分别为0.44、0.06和0.50, 能量主要分配在振动和平动上。在T=523 K和PH2=2.5×103 Pa条件下, 通过求解速率方程组和对时间分辨CARS线轮廓的分析, 得到碰撞转移速率系数k1=(6.0±1.2)×10-14 cm-3s-1和k2=(4.0±0.8)×10-13cm-3 s-1。     

Narrow-band coherent anti-stokes Raman signals from broad-band pulses

By tailoring the phase of a 100 femtosecond probe pulse we are able to obtain a narrow-band coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) resonant signal with a width of less than 15 cm(-1), which is an order of magnitude narrower than the CARS signal from a transform limited pulse. Thus, by measuring the spectrum of the CARS signal we are able to obtain a high-resolution energy level diagram of the probed sample in spite of the broad femtosecond pulse spectrum.     

Simultaneous measurements of global vibrational spectra and dephasing times of molecular vibrational modes by broadband time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectrography

In broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy with supercontinuum (SC), the simultaneously detectable spectral coverage is limited by the spectral continuity and the simultaneity of various spectral components of SC in an enough bandwidth. By numerical simulations, the optimal experimental conditions for improving the SC are obtained. The broadband time-resolved CARS spectrography based on the SC with required temporal and spectral distributions is realised. The global molecular vibrational spectrum with well suppressed nonresonant background noise can be obtained in a single measurement. At the same time, the measurements of dephasing times of various molecular vibrational modes can be conveniently achieved from intensities of a sequence of time-resolved CARS signals. It will be more helpful to provide a complete picture of molecular vibrations, and to exhibit a potential to understand not only both the solvent dynamics and the solute-solvent interactions, but also the mechanisms of chemical reactions in the fields of biology, chemistry and material science.     

A combined theoretical and experimental study of the ultrafast photophysics of Rhodamine B

The ultrafast dynamics of zwitterionic and cationic Rhodamine B in ethanol have been investigated using TDDFT calculations and ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy. The calculations show that the zwitterionic form exhibits an electronically excited dark state which could potentially quench the initially photoexcited state, while in the case of cationic form the lowest excited lying dark state is outside the energy region of interest and cannot explain its quenching. Due to similarities in the relaxation dynamics of the two molecules, it is suggested that the electronically excited dark state may not play such an important role in the quenching process of this dye as previously proposed. Experimental evidence presented suggests that a quenching mechanism is active on the picosecond timescale for both forms of Rhodamine B.     

Combined coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy and linear Raman spectroscopy for simultaneous temperature and multiple species measurements

The simultaneous application of pure rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) and vibrational linear Raman spectroscopy (LRS) for the measurement of temperature and species concentrations in combustion systems is demonstrated. In addition to the standard rotational CARS experimental setup, only one detection system (spectrometer and intensified CCD camera) for the collection of the LRS signals was applied. The emission of the broadband dye laser used for CARS was shifted to the deep red to avoid interferences with the LRS signals located in the visible region. First experimental results from a vaporizing propane spray using an engine injection system are shown.     

Time‐resolved coherent anti‐Stokes Raman spectroscopy impulsively excited by supercontinuum

Time‐resolved coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) impulsively excited by a supercontinuum (SC) is investigated. We show that it is critical to optimize the temporal overlapping of the constituent solitons of a SC in order to impulsively excite vibrational modes over a broad frequency range. The cross‐correlation frequency‐resolved optical gating technique is utilized to retrieve the optical response function of molecules under SC impulsive excitation, and background‐free CARS with spectral resolution significantly better than the bandwidth of the probe pulses is achieved. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of rotational CARS for combustion diagnostics using a polarization approach

Rotational Coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) has the last decades been developed into a useful tool for thermometry and concentration measurements in combustion. In this paper, we present a novel polarization approach of the technique, which will enhance its potential and widen the range of conditions at which it can be utilized. The theory of the polarization approach is described in detail. It is shown that by specific arrangement of the polarizations of the laser beams, total suppression of the non-resonant background signal can be obtained, and thus by probing only the resonant CARS signal the diagnostic utility of the technique increases. The main benefit of the approach is in situations where the non-resonant background signal is relatively high in comparison with the resonant signal. The high potential of polarization rotational CARS for thermometry is demonstrated in some illustrative examples, for example, nitrogen thermometry on the fuel side of diffusion flames, and carbon monoxide thermometry in the product gas of ethylene/oxygen/argon-flames.     

Time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering with a femtosecond soliton output of a photonic-crystal fiber

We demonstrate time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) by using a frequency-tunable femtosecond soliton output of a silica photonic-crystal fiber (PCF) as a Stokes field. This approach allows quantum beats originating from two close Raman modes to be resolved in the time-domain CARS response. The nonresonant CARS background is efficiently suppressed by introducing a delay time between the probe pulse and the pump-Stokes pulse dyad, suggesting a convenient fiber-optic format for the Stokes source in time-resolved CARS and allowing sensitivity improvement in PCF-based CARS spectroscopes and microscopes.     

CARS difference spectroscopy

Summary In this paper we present a vibrational-spectroscopy technique which combines the advantages of coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) and linear Raman difference spectroscopy. The method which we call CARS difference spectroscopy can be applied for the study of small frequency shifts and/or bandwidth changes in the CARS spectra of liquid mixtures and solutions. First we develop the theory necessary for the interpretation of experimental data obtained from CARS difference measurements of mixtures of two Raman-active liquids and present some model calculations for benzene-toluene mixtures of different concentrations. Then the experimental arrangement used for CARS difference measurements as well as some examples of recorded spectra are described. We show that it is possible to observe the effects of dilution on CARS spectra with high accuracy by applying the discussed technique. Paper presented at the “XI European CARS Workshop”, Florence, Italy, 23–25 March, 1992.     

Ultrafast Raman loss spectroscopy

This paper deals with a new form of nonlinear Raman spectroscopy called ‘ultrafast Raman loss spectroscopy (URLS)’. URLS is analogous to stimulated Raman spectroscopy (SRS) but is much more sensitive than SRS. The signals are background (noise) free unlike in coherent anti‐Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) and it provides natural fluorescence rejection, which is a major problem in Raman spectroscopy. In addition, being a self‐phase matching process, the URLS experiment is much easier than CARS, which requires specific phase matching of the laser pulses. URLS is expected to be alternative if not competitive to CARS microscopy, which has become a popular technique in applications to materials, biology and medicine. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High‐resolution narrowband CARS spectroscopy in the spectral fingerprint region

Coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy is an important technique for spectroscopy and chemically selective microscopy, but wider implementation requires dedicated versatile tunable sources. We describe an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on a magnesium oxide‐doped periodically poled lithium niobate crystal, with a novel variable output coupler, used as a tunable coherent light source. The OPO's signal wavelength ranges from 880 to 1040 nm and its idler wavelength from 1090 to 1350 nm. We use this OPO to demonstrate high‐resolution narrowband CARS spectroscopy on bulk polystyrene from 900 to 3600 cm⁻¹, covering a large part of the molecular fingerprint region. Recording vibrational spectra using narrowband CARS spectroscopy has several advantages over spontaneous Raman spectroscopy, which we discuss. We isolate the resonant part of the CARS spectrum and compare it to the spontaneous Raman spectrum of polystyrene using the maximum entropy method of phase retrieval; we find them to be in extremely good agreement. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Scanning the energy dissipation process of energetic materials based on excited state relaxation and vibration–vibration coupling

The energy dissipation mechanism of energetic materials(EMs) is very important for keeping safety. We choose nitrobenzene as a model of EM and employ transient absorption(TA) spectroscopy and time-resolved coherent anti-stokes Raman scattering(CARS) to clarify its energy dissipation mechanism. The TA data confirms that the excited nitrobenzene spends about 16 ps finishing the twist intramolecular charge transfer from benzene to nitro group, and dissipates its energy through the rapid vibration relaxation in the initial excited state. And then the dynamics of vibrational modes(VMs) in the ground state of nitrobenzene, which are located at 682 cm~(-1)(v_1), 854 cm~(-1)(v_2), 1006 cm~(-1)(v_3), and 1023 cm~(-1)(v_4),is scanned by CARS. It exhibits that the excess energy of nitrobenzene on the ground state would further dissipate through intramolecular vibrational redistribution based on the vibrational cooling of vi and v_2 modes, v_1 and v_4 modes, and v_3 and v_4 modes. Moreover, the vibration-vibration coupling depends not only on the energy levels of VMs, but also on the spatial position of chemical bonds relative to the VM.     

Quantum coherence of image-potential states

The quantum dynamics of the two-dimensional image-potential states in front of the Cu(100) surface is measured by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. The dispersion relation and the momentum resolved phase-relaxation time of the first image-potential state are determined from the quantum interference patterns in the local density of states at step edges. It is demonstrated that the tip-induced Stark shift does not affect the motion of the electrons parallel to the surface.     

Investigation of vibrational characteristics in BBO crystals by femtosecond CARS

Femtosecond time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) is utilized to study the ultrafast vibrational dynamics in BBO crystals at room temperature. Time-resolved two-beam and three-beam CARS are detected. The vibrational dephasing time is analyzed and the changes of vibrational mode intensities with the polarization of pump pulses are observed.     

Validation experiments for spatially resolved one-dimensional emission spectroscopy temperature measurements by dual-pump CARS in a sooting flame

In this work, an emission spectroscopic (ES) technique for the determination of soot temperatures in an axisymmetric flame is validated against coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) as preparation for a zero gravity measurement campaign. In order to reduce valuable measurement times during the parabolic flights, a setup for spatially resolved one-dimensional measurements along a line has been built up using an imaging spectrometer and a CCD-camera for data acquisition.In order to assess the performance of the ES technique, accurate coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) measurements have been performed at the same conditions. Hereby, great care has to be taken to minimize the known interferences in sooting flames. The non-resonant signal contribution was suppressed by a polarization technique and the signal wavelength was shifted to an interference free region. These modifications are discussed in detail. The temperatures obtained by both methods are in good agreement in most regions of the flame. It turned out that the described approach for ES is an appropriate and robust alternative for measuring temperatures in sooting axisymmetric flames, if more accurate techniques cannot be applied, e.g., during investigations in zero-g parabolic flight experiments.