Generation of femtosecond VUV pulses and their application to time resolved spectroscopy in the gas phase

• Published in: Optics communications Vol. 173; no. 1; pp. 323 - 331
• Main Authors: Wittmann, M, Wick, M.T, Steinkellner, O, Farmanara, P, Stert, V, Radloff, W, Korn, G, Hertel, I.V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 2000; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Exact sciences and technology; Four-wave difference-frequency mixing; fs-VUV pulse generation; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Nonlinear optics; Optics; Phase conjugation, optical mixing, and photorefractive effect; Phase conjugation, optical mixing; photorefractive and kerr effects; Physics; Two-colour two-photon ionization spectroscopy; Ultrafast processes; optical pulse generation and pulse compression; 34.50Gb; Four-wave difference-frequency mixing; fs-VUV pulse generation; 42.65Ky; Two-colour two-photon ionization spectroscopy; 42.65Re; Pulse generation; Time resolution; Pump probe spectrometry; Difference frequency; Four-wave mixing; Tunable lasers; Laser spectroscopy; Two-photon processes; Argon; Experimental study; Extreme ultraviolet radiation; Nonlinear optics
• ISSN: 0030-4018; 1873-0310
• DOI: 10.1016/S0030-4018(99)00607-0

We describe a laser system capable of producing tunable femtosecond VUV pulses around 100 nm by two-photon near-resonant four-wave difference-frequency mixing in argon. Two colour pump-probe ionization experiments allow the characterization of the VUV pulses as well as time-resolved studies of highly excited molecular systems (CS 2 , toluene, HDO) in a supersonic jet.