Communication: Comment on the effective temporal and spectral resolution of impulsive stimulated Raman signals

A compact correlation-function expression for time-resolved stimulated Raman signals, generated by combining a spectrally narrow (picosecond) with a broad (femtosecond) pulse, is derived using a closed time path loop diagrammatic technique that represents forward and backward time evolution of the vibrational wave function. We show that even though the external spectral and temporal parameters of the pulses may be independently controlled, the effective temporal and spectral resolution of the experiment may not exceed the fundamental bandwidth limitation. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3581889]