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We theoretically propose a multidimensional high-harmonic echo spectroscopy technique which utilizes strong optical fields to resolve coherent electron dynamics spanning an energy range of multiple electronvolts. Using our recently developed semi-perturbative approach, we can describe the coherent valence electron dynamics driven by a sequence of phase-matched and well-separated short few-cycle strong infrared laser pulses. The recombination of tunnel-ionized electrons by each pulse coherently populates the valence states of a molecule, which allows for a direct observation of its dynamics via the high harmonic echo signal. The broad bandwidth of the effective dipole between valence states originated from the strong-field excitation results in nontrivial ultra-delayed partial rephasing echo, which is not observed in standard two-dimensional optical spectroscopic techniques in a two-level molecular systems. We demonstrate the results of simulations for the anionic molecular system and show that the ultrafast valence electron dynamics can be well captured with femtosecond resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave photonic pulse generation has intrinsic high speed and large bandwidth, and it can overcome the sampling-rate limitation in the electrical domain. Herein, we propose a partly temporally-overlapped photon echo scheme to generate microwave pulses with a high data transfer rate and precision pulse width. The partly overlapped chirped control pulse has the same chirped rate segments but different time delays. The time delay between the segments and the number of segments can be adjusted to achieve a controllable multipulse photon echo train. We developed a theoretical model based on the photon echo process and performed simulations to obtain nonlinear chirped periodic spectral grating in a Tm3+:YAG crystal and gave the time delay provided by the spectral grating to the probe pulse at different instantaneous frequencies. We further generated pulse code modulation signals to verify the performance of the target signal. The proposed signal-generation scheme has potential applications in microwave photonics and modern radar systems.

Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides display a strong excitonic optical response. Additionally encapsulating the monolayer with hexagonal boron nitride allows to reach the limit of a purely homogeneously broadened exciton system. On such a MoSe2‐based system, ultrafast six‐wave mixing spectroscopy is performed and a novel destructive photon echo effect is found. This process manifests as a characteristic depression of the nonlinear signal dynamics when scanning the delay between the applied laser pulses. By theoretically describing the process within a local field model, an excellent agreement with the experiment is reached. An effective Bloch vector representation is developed and thereby it is demonstrated that the destructive photon echo stems from a destructive interference of successive repetitions of the heterodyning experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides display a strong excitonic optical response. Additionally encapsulating the monolayer with hexagonal boron nitride allows to reach the limit of a purely homogeneously broadened exciton system. On such a MoSe2‐based system, ultrafast six‐wave mixing spectroscopy is performed and a novel destructive photon echo effect is found. This process manifests as a characteristic depression of the nonlinear signal dynamics when scanning the delay between the applied laser pulses. By theoretically describing the process within a local field model, an excellent agreement with the experiment is reached. An effective Bloch vector representation is developed and thereby it is demonstrated that the destructive photon echo stems from a destructive interference of successive repetitions of the heterodyning experiment.

We theoretically propose a multidimensional high-harmonic echo spectroscopy technique which utilizes strong optical fields to resolve coherent electron dynamics spanning an energy range of multiple electronvolts. Using our recently developed semi-perturbative approach, we can describe the coherent valence electron dynamics driven by a sequence of phase-matched and well-separated short few-cycle strong infrared laser pulses. The recombination of tunnel-ionized electrons by each pulse coherently populates the valence states of a molecule, which allows for a direct observation of its dynamics via the high harmonic echo signal. The broad bandwidth of the effective dipole between valence states originated from the strong-field excitation results in nontrivial ultra-delayed partial rephasing echo, which is not observed in standard two-dimensional optical spectroscopic techniques in a two-level molecular systems. We demonstrate the results of simulations for the anionic molecular system and show that the ultrafast valence electron dynamics can be well captured with femtosecond resolution., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

The broad linewidths in absorption spectra of photosynthetic complexes obscure information related to their structure and function. Photon echo techniques represent a powerful class of time-resolved electronic spectroscopy that allow researchers to probe the interactions normally hidden under broad linewidths with sufficient time resolution to follow the fastest energy transfer events in light harvesting. Here, we outline the technical approach and applications of two types of photon echo experiments: the photon echo peak shift and two-dimensional (2D) Fourier transform photon echo spectroscopy. We review several extensions of these techniques to photosynthetic complexes. Photon echo peak shift spectroscopy can be used to determine the strength of coupling between a pigment and its surrounding environment including neighboring pigments and to quantify timescales of energy transfer. Two-dimensional spectroscopy yields a frequency-resolved map of absorption and emission processes, allowing coupling interactions and energy transfer pathways to be viewed directly. Furthermore, 2D spectroscopy reveals structural information such as the relative orientations of coupled transitions. Both classes of experiments can be used to probe the quantum mechanical nature of photosynthetic light-harvesting: peak shift experiments allow quantification of correlated energetic fluctuations between pigments, while 2D techniques measure quantum beating directly, both of which indicate the extent of quantum coherence over multiple pigment sites in the protein complex. The mechanistic and structural information obtained by these techniques reveals valuable insights into the design principles of photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes, and a multitude of variations on the methods outlined here.

Photon echo technique based on rare earth ion-doped crystal has potential applications in optical signal processing. However, the coexistence of different types of photon echo lead to a great reduction of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Noncolinear scheme can be adopted to improve SNR by separating such echo signals in the space domain. In this paper, by using the noncolinear beam configuration, we present a detailed analysis and characterization of the accumulated photon echo signals based on rare earth ion-doped crystal. Accumulated photon echo signals occurred at different moment can be analytically predicted using Cayley–Klein parameters method, which is confirmed with the numerical results by solving the Maxwell–Bloch equations. The performance of the spatial-spectral grating has been evaluated, including the grating period, grating amplitude and grating shape. Finally, in the case of noncolinear configuration, the influence parameters related to echo signal intensity has also been discussed compared with the collinear geometry. The results presented here may be helpful to gain new insights on the typical parameters for optical signal processing by using photon echo technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compositional engineering of the optical properties of hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites is crucial for the realization of efficient solar cells and light-emitting devices. We study the effect of band gap fluctuations on coherent exciton dynamics in a mixed FA 0.9 Cs 0.1 PbI 2.8 Br 0.2 perovskite crystal by using photon echo spectroscopy. We reveal a narrow homogeneous exciton line width of 16 μeV at a temperature of 1.5 K. The corresponding exciton coherence time T = 83 ps is exceptionally long due to the localization of excitons at the scale of tens to hundreds of nanometers. From spectral and temperature dependences of the two- and three-pulse photon echo decay, we conclude that for low-energy excitons pure decoherence associated with elastic scattering on phonons is comparable with the exciton lifetime, while for excitons with higher energies, inelastic scattering to lower energy states via phonon emission dominates.2 = 83 ps is exceptionally long due to the localization of excitons at the scale of tens to hundreds of nanometers. From spectral and temperature dependences of the two- and three-pulse photon echo decay, we conclude that for low-energy excitons pure decoherence associated with elastic scattering on phonons is comparable with the exciton lifetime, while for excitons with higher energies, inelastic scattering to lower energy states via phonon emission dominates.

The field of multidimensional laser spectroscopy comprises a variety of highly developed state-of-the-art methods, which exhibit broad prospects for applications in several areas of natural, material, and even medical sciences. This collection summarizes the main achievements from this area and gives basic introductory insight into what is currently possible with such methods. In the present introductory contribution, we briefly outline the general concept behind multidimensional laser spectroscopy, for instance by highlighting the often-employed analogy between multidimensional laser spectroscopy and NMR methods. Our initial introduction is followed by an overview of the most important and widely used multidimensional spectroscopies' classification. Special emphasis is placed on how the contributing spectral region defines a natural way of grouping the techniques in terms of their information content. On this basis, we introduce the most important graphical ways in which multidimensional data is generally visualized. This is done by comparing specifically temporal and spectra axes that make up each single multidimensional data plot. Several central experimental methods that are common to the various techniques reviewed in this collection are addressed in the perspective of recent developments and their impact on the field. These methods include, for example, heterodyne/homodyne detection, fast scanning, spatial light modulation, and sparse sampling methods. Importantly, we address the central and fundamental questions where multidimensional ultrafast spectroscopy can be used to help understanding chemical dynamics and intermolecular interactions. Finally, we briefly pinpoint what we believe are the main open questions and what will be the future directions for technical developments and promotion of scientific understanding that multidimensional spectroscopy can provide for chemistry, physics, and life sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since quantum information technologies are expected to offer communication security and high computational capacities, research in the field is currently attracting a lot of attention. Among the materials studied so far, rare earth doped inorganic insulators are one of the most promising. With the different available trivalent rare earth ions, the visible and the IR range including the telecom wavelength at 1.5 µm can be covered. Transitions are usually narrow, and at low temperatures, long optical and spin coherence times can often be observed. Investigations using bulk single crystals have already led to many promising results. Recently, spectroscopic studies have been extended to other forms of inorganic materials, such as transparent ceramics, thin films, and nanoparticles for single rare-earth qubits. Progress in these areas is expected to offer many new possibilities for the design of quantum light-matter interfaces and scalable quantum memories and processors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative study of the vibrational properties of W(CO) 6 has been performed in different solids at cryogenic temperatures focusing on the IR absorption and the vibrational dynamics of the CO stretching mode of the organometallic compound. Guest-host interactions are investigated in doped solids through the linear IR spectroscopy and four-wave mixing techniques at different temperatures. We show how the host nature, the trapping site, the crystallographic ordering affect the properties of the guest molecule and in particular its vibrational dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photon echo (PE) spectroscopy and single-molecule spectroscopy (SMS) may be combined to give a very powerful tool for comprehensive study of low-temperature dynamics in dye-doped disordered solids (polymers, glasses). At the same time, this type of studies are likely to reveal discrepancies when comparing characteristic times of optical dephasing T2 and single-molecule zero-phonon spectral lines (ZPL) broadening obtained from PE and SMS, correspondingly, for tetra-tert-butylterrylene in polyisobutylene in the temperature range of a few-dozen of Kelvins [see Phys. Status Solidi B 241, 3480 and 3487 (2004)]. Inexplicably, PE-experiments demonstrated T2-times to be much shorter than it is sufficient to cause the corresponding ZPL broadening. Here we experimentally solve this problem and show that at T = 4.5-15 K the incoherent PE gives T2-times which correspond to the narrowest SM ZPL. On the SM-level there is a pronounced additional ZPL-broadening due to spectral diffusion processes which are strongly dependent on the characteristics time of the measurement (tens of nanoseconds for PE and seconds for SMS). There is also a broad distribution of ZPL spectral widths for different SMs due to different local environments, that contribute differently to both the optical dephasing and the spectral diffusion processes, but always in addition to the value of inverse optical dephasing times measured using a PE technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-optical pulse generation opens up a field for ultrawideband (UWB) applications. However, controllable pulse width and pulse type are still challenging. Here, we present a theoretical model and stimulated results of monocycle and doublet waveforms generation using programmable optical photon echo progress. We synthesized instantaneously monocycle and doublet waveforms by adjustment of pulse width, pulse amplitude, pulse position, and time interval of subpulses. We verified the possible application of the proposed method to design U.S. Federal Communications Commission-compliant UWB waveforms, and therefore, it may provide an avenue for waveform generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]