Resolved rotation-vibration non-equilibrium with rotational VIPA-CARS

1D interferometric Rayleigh scattering velocimetry and thermometry using VIPA

The work introduces a VIPA-based interferometric Rayleigh scattering instrument for tracer-free, simultaneous temperature and velocity measurements along a 1D volume. A virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) replaces the Fabry-Perot etalon conventionally used in interferometric Rayleigh scattering, allowing the extension of the technique from 0D (point or multi-point) to 1D. The Rayleigh-Brillouin spectrum is a function of pressure and temperature and can be used for temperature diagnostics in isobaric flows. A reference leg based on a Fabry-Perot (FP) etalon provides real-time monitoring of the laser wavelength drift during the experiment. The accuracy and precision of the measurements are estimated from measurements in laminar flows, and the technique is then demonstrated in a heated turbulent jet of air.

Direct observation of coherence transfer and rotational-to-vibrational energy exchange in optically centrifuged CO2 super-rotors

Optical centrifuges are laser-based molecular traps that can rotationally accelerate molecules to energies rivalling or exceeding molecular bond energies. Here we report time and frequency-resolved ultrafast coherent Raman measurements of optically centrifuged CO₂ at 380 Torr spun to energies beyond its bond dissociation energy of 5.5 eV (J_max = 364, E_rot = 6.14 eV, E_rot/k_B = 71, 200 K). The entire rotational ladder from J = 24 to J = 364 was resolved simultaneously which enabled a more accurate measurement of the centrifugal distortion constants for CO₂. Remarkably, coherence transfer was directly observed, and time-resolved, during the field-free relaxation of the trap as rotational energy flowed into bending-mode vibrational excitation. Vibrationally excited CO₂ (ν₂ > 3) was observed in the time-resolved spectra to populate after 3 mean collision times as a result of rotational-to-vibrational (R-V) energy transfer. Trajectory simulations show an optimal range of J for R-V energy transfer. Dephasing rates for molecules rotating up to 5.5 times during one collision were quantified. Very slow decays of the vibrational hot band rotational coherences suggest that they are sustained by coherence transfer and line mixing.

Birefringence based multi-focus fs/ps-CARS spectroscopy for thermometry and hyperspectral microscopy

We present a multi-focus fs/ps-CARS scheme to perform spectroscopy on multiple points simultaneously for gas phase measurements and microscopy, using a single birefringence crystal or a combination of birefringent stacks. CARS performances are first reported for 1 kHz single-shot N₂ spectroscopy on two points set few millimeters apart, allowing thermometry measurements to be carried out in the vicinity of a flame. Then, simultaneous acquisition of toluene spectra is demonstrated on two points set 14 µm apart in a microscope setup. Finally, two-point and four-point hyperspectral imaging of PMMA microbeads in water is performed, demonstrating a proportional increase in acquisition speed.