SUBPICOSECOND TRANSIENT INFRARED-SPECTROSCOPY OF WATER - A THEORETICAL DESCRIPTION

The pump-probe response of water in infrared is examined theoretically at time scales of the order of 100 fs; these times scales are characteristic of spectral diffusion. The theory is a statistical theory using correlation function description of the nonlinear optical processes involved. An analytical expression for the transient infrared signal is presented, and the corresponding time- and frequency-resolved spectra are discussed. Real time shifts of spectral bands, preceded by a redistribution of their intensities, are predicted. Physical interpretation of these findings is proposed, corroborated by the help of simple models. The intrinsic interest of this time domain is emphasized. (C) 1995 American Institute of Physics.