Femtosecond pulses in the mid-infrared: generation, characterization and applications in condensed matter research

Summary form only given. This tutorial combines a review of recent developments in pulse generation and characterization at wavelengths from 2.5 to 25 /spl mu/m (0.5 to 0.05 eV) with a discussion of spectroscopic methods for condensed matter research. Different sources of ultrashort mid-infrared pulses are described with the main emphasis on parametric frequency mixing. The state of the art in pulse shaping and phase-resolved pulse characterization in the mid-infrared will be presented and complemented by a discussion of spectroscopic methods, in particular multidimensional spectroscopies. The potential of such methods is illustrated by key applications in ultrafast semiconductor optics and vibrational spectroscopy of liquid systems.