Multiphonon dephasing of the 1086-cm−1mode in calcite

The dephasing time of the 1086-${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{-}1}$ mode in calcite has been measured as a function of temperature using a new, innovative single-shot streak-camera technique that measures the phonon dephasing rate in real time. Phonon-phonon interaction models have been proposed and tested to explain the temperature dependence of the experimentally measured dephasing time. It is found that multiphonon splitting and scattering processes involving at least four phonons substantially contribute to the dephasing of the 1086-${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{-}1}$ mode in calcite.