High sensitivity transient infrared spectroscopy: a UV/Visible transient grating spectrometer with a heterodyne detected infrared probe

We describe here a high sensitivity means of performing time resolved UV/Visible pump, infrared probe spectroscopy using optically Heterodyne Detected UV-IR Transient Gratings. The experiment design employed is simple, robust and includes a novel means of generating phase locked pulse pairs that relies on only mirrors and a beamsplitter. A signal to noise ratio increase of 24 compared with a conventional pump-probe arrangement is demonstrated. (c) 2012 Optical Society of America