Two-Dimensional Electronic Correlation and Relaxation Spectra: Theory and Model Calculations

Hybl et al. demonstrated a technique for recording two-dimensional Fourier transform electronic correlation and relaxation spectra based on detecting phase modulation of the signal electric field in a noncollinear femtosecond four-wave mixing experiment. A theoretical analysis of 2D correlation and relaxation experiments is presented for a system consisting of two electronic states each having two or more sublevels. The separation between absorption and dispersion mode 2D spectra in these experiments is investigated in detail for nonzero pulse duration and compared to related 2D NMR experiments based on a nonlinear optical definition of coherence order. Phase-twisted peaks, which mix absorption and dispersion line shapes, can occur under some circumstances. A 1D projection of the complex 2D spectrum is shown to equal the transient grating signal field, and the real part of this projection is related to the spectrally resolved pump−probe signal. Calculated 2D spectra for a two-level Bloch model, an underda...