FREQUENCY-DOMAIN OBSERVATION OF THE ULTRAFAST INERTIAL RESPONSE OF THE OPTICAL KERR EFFECT IN CS2

Time-domain experiments using femtosecond pulses have recently revealed the inertial aspect of the nuclear-orientation component of the optical Kerr effect in carbon disulfide. We present frequency-domain measurements, performed with the tunable-laser-induced grating technique, which also demonstrate the need to incorporate inertial behavior in models of the nuclear-orientation contribution to this ultrafast response. No previously suggested model, however, yields a fit to our data that passes standard goodness-of-fit tests at an acceptable level. © 1990 American Institute of Physics.