TIME-RESOLVED LUMINESCENCE FROM COHERENTLY EXCITED MOLECULES AS A PROBE OF MOLECULAR WAVE-PACKET DYNAMICS

We calculate the time-dependent spectrum of spontaneously emitted light from a coherently excited diatomic molecule. We show that this spectrum provides a tool for direct observation of the atomic vibrations in the excited electronic state of the molecule, and that the finite time and frequency resolution inherent in any experiment does not destroy all information about the time-dependent shape of the molecular wave packet. © 1990 The American Physical Society.