DETERMINATION OF INHOMOGENEOUS BROADENING FROM THE EXCITATION PROFILES OF CARS AND CSRS

Inhomogeneously broadened excitation profiles of resonant CARS and CSR S are examined for the case of A-type scattering. By using the circums tance that the inhomogeneity of the environment reveals itself in diff erent line widths for CARS and CSRS, the distinguishing of homogeneous and inhomogeneous line widths can be carried through. A procedure is proposed which allows one to determine these line widths, based on mea sured line widths of the absorption and the excitation lines of CARS a nd CSRS. It enables one to determine very short (of the order of 10(-1 3)-10(-14) s(-1)) relaxation times via stationary experiments. (C) 199 8 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.