Optical Diagnostics with Ultrafast and Strong Field Raman Techniques

In this chapter, we will discuss some coherent techniques, namely Raman Induced Polarization Spectroscopy (RIPS) and femtosecond Coherent Raman Anti-Stokes Spectroscopy (fs-CARS). We will demonstrate their ability to be used as non-invasive optical diagnostic tools for temperature, density, or concentration measurements, as well as a means of testing collision induced energy transfer models (in a low field regime), and studying the so-called inhomogeneous lineshape effects that are particularly enhanced in the case of hydrogen. We will also show how molecular alignment achieved in a strong field regime can provide additional information about collisional relaxation processes. In all cases, a precise knowledge of the collisional effects is required, and so a general modeling of collisional relaxations will be detailed.