Polarization-dependent detection of impulsive stimulated Raman scattering in α-quartz

Abstract

The stimulation and detection of both the A- and E-symmetry Raman lines in α-quartz using ultrafast impulsive stimulated Raman scattering is presented. Using a flexible experimental set-up, each nuclear oscillatory mode is selected and analysed in the time domain separately. The mode selection is made possible with optical summing of the fields involved to reduce noise and assure accurate synchronization. The experimental procedure is compared to optical heterodyne detection Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy (OHD-RIKES) and the data is compared with standard frequency-domain measurements.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Professor Guetter from Hamline University's Mathematics Department and acknowledge support from the Research Corporation and the National Science Foundation.