Fifth-order two-dimensional Raman spectroscopy: a new direct probe of the liquid state

The experimental challenges of performing high-order non-linear spectroscopies have been met using diffractive optics to allow passive phase locking of all six interacting laser fields and true phase-sensitive detection. Improvements in signal to noise, use of phase contrast, as well as geometrical phase matching and polarization have made it possible to isolate systematically the pure nuclear fifth-order Raman response. Using CS2 as a model system of a simple liquid, the two-time correlation of the probed liquid modes or bath memory function is found to decay faster than the free-induction decay associated with one-dimensional spectroscopic probes of the same modes. This observation is in sharp contrast to other two-dimensional spectroscopies and is related to the unique application of a two-quantum transition or Raman overtone for the rephasing pathway. Both theory and experiment have converged on this point, as well as a pronounced ridge along the probe time axis that is related to population decay of the excited modes. Recent advances in theoretical treatments of the correlation function have shown this spectroscopy to contain a wealth of information imbedded in the specific form of the two-dimensional spectrum. The extremely sensitive nature of this experiment stems from the involvement of a Raman overtone that gives the experiment direct access to the all important anharmonic terms in the intermolecular potential. As such, this form of spectroscopy harbours great promise to provide a rigorous benchmark for developing liquid state theories. The experimental details, current state of understanding of the experiment, interpretation and pitfalls, as well as an overview of the various theoretical efforts are given. The area is at a critical cross-road in advancing the spectroscopy to other liquids and associated complex systems. Some speculations on what the future holds are given in this context. The onus is clearly on experimentalists to advance this method and new technologies will be needed to do so--in which directly probing the dynamical structure of liquid water is the ultimate challenge.