Open AccessPolarization sensitive ultrafast mid-IR pump probe micro-spectrometer with diffraction limited spatial resolution
Author(s) -
Marius Kaučikas,
Jim Barber,
Jasper J. van Thor
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.21.008357
Subject(s) - optics , materials science , ultrashort pulse , spectrometer , diffraction , image resolution , polarization (electrochemistry) , imaging spectrometer , temporal resolution , optoelectronics , laser , physics , chemistry
A setup of ultrafast transient infrared IR spectrometer is described in this paper that employed Schwarzschild objectives to focus the probe beam to a diffraction limited spot. Thus measurements were performed with very high spatial resolution in the mid-IR spectral region. Furthermore, modulating the polarization of the probe light enabled detecting transient dichroism of the sample. These capabilities of the setup were applied to study transient absorption of Photosystem II core complex and to image an organized film of methylene blue chloride dye. Moreover, a study of noise sources in a pump probe measurement is presented. The predicted noise level of the current setup was 8.25 μOD in 10(4) acquisitions and compared very well with the experimental observation of 9.6 μOD.