Advances in Picosecond Spectroscopy

Progress in the technology of picosecond spectroscopy in the past few years has made possible the generation of well-characterized pulses emitted by synchronously pumped tunable dye lasers. In addition, the development of sensitive emission and absorption detection methods and the advent of picosecond Raman and coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy make possible the direct observaton of picosecond transient spectra and lifetimes. The information obtained allows the complete determination of mechanisms through the identification of transient states, radicals, and ions that evolve during the course of a chemical or biological reaction.