Synchronized generation of a narrow-bandwidth visible pulse and a broad-bandwidth mid-IR pulse for sum-frequency generation spectroscopy

Summary form only given. We have developed a high-power optical parametric amplifier (OPA) system that simultaneously generates a picosecond visible pulse and a femtosecond mid-IR pulse, both independently wavelength tunable. The system is to be used for time resolved sum-frequency (SF) generation spectroscopy, in which the broad-bandwidth mid-IR pulse mixes with the narrow-bandwidth visible pulse through a /spl chi//sup (2)/ process at an interface to produce a SF signal that carries information on SF active vibrational resonances.