On the deconvolution of the temporal width of laser pulses from pump–probe signals

Abstract

We consider pump–probe frequency integrated fluorescence signals. These transients, in general, arise from wave packets where the intrinsic dynamics and the response to the pump pulse is entangled in a complicated way. The signal from an infinitely short δ-pump pulse is the only exception. However, if the pump–probe signal is integrated over the frequencies of the pump laser, the signal can be expressed as a convolution of the pulse envelope with the signal obtained from a δ-pulse excitation. We consider the deconvolution of the pulse envelope and demonstrate that the signal corresponding to a δ-pump pulse can be recovered exactly from signals using pump pulses of finite temporal width. Numerical examples are presented for asymptotic fragment detection in the reaction, ICN→I+CN.