Single-shot femtosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman-scattering thermometry

A new time-domain single-shot detection technique based on nonresonant femtosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering is introduced for the determination of temperatures in flames and combustion processes, Chirped probe pulses are used to map the time evolution of the molecular dynamics initiated by a pump and a Stokes pulse onto the spectrum of the coherent anti-Stokes Raman-scattering signal pulses. An analytical description of this mapping process is given, which specifies ranges of linear and nonlinear time-frequency mapping, and an experimental realization is presented for single-shot thermometry on H-2. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.