Ultrafast photon echo experiments in condensed phase: Detection of solvation dynamics, coherent wavepacket motions and static inhomogeneity

Three-pulse photon echo (3PPE) experiment has been applied to liquids, amorphous, and biological systems to elucidate the origin of the spectral line-broadening mechanism of optical transitions. 3PPE is a third-order nonlinear coherent optical process which is a part of the degenerate four-wave-mixing (DFWM) technique. Originally it was developed to determine electronic dephasing time in low-temperature glass and/or amorphous systems and simultaneously applied to solvation dynamics and/or spectral diffusion in condensed phase. Moreover, when a sufficiently short femtosecond laser pulse is utilized, it could also induce and control intramolecular coherent nuclear wavepacket motions. In the present review, we introduce the development and application of 3PPE spectroscopy in condensed phase, together with its basic background. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.