title: Polarization shaping in the mid-IR and polarization-based balanced heterodyne detection with application to 2D IR spectroscopy.
abstract: We demonstrate amplitude, phase and polarization shaping of femtosecond mid-IR pulses using a germanium acousto-optical modulator by independently shaping the frequency-dependent amplitudes and phases of two orthogonally polarized pulses which are then collinearly overlapped using a wire-grid polarizer. We use a feedback loop to set and stabilize the relative phase of the orthogonal pulses. We have also used a wire-grid polarizer to implement polarization-based balanced heterodyne detection for improved signal-to-noise of 2D IR spectra collected in a pump-probe geometry. Applications include coherent control of molecular vibrations and improvements in multidimensional IR spectroscopy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1396, USA.
authors.forename: Chris T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Strasfeld
authors.forename: Martin T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Zanni
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D004867:Equipment Design; D008859:Microscopy, Polarization / Q000379:methods; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D009991:Oscillometry / Q000379:methods; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000379:methods; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared / Q000379:methods*; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors
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