Transient Grating Spectroscopy

In Chapter 11 a general theory of four-wave mixing (FWM) and the third order nonlinear susceptibility χ(3) was developed. In this Chapter the basics and applications for a special case of a FWM process the so-called transient grating (TG) or forced light scattering will be considered. This method has found wide-spread use in nonlinear laser spectroscopy and serves as an example for the versatility and the detailed understanding a specific technique allows in the study of light-matter interactions and material dynamics A more thorough and exhaustive treatment of this subject can be found in the monograph by Eichler, Gunter and Pohl [1].