Picosecond time-scale phase-related optical pulses: measurement of sodium optical coherence decay by observation of incoherent fluorescence

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Abstract
A technique for producing phase-related picosecond optical pulses is described. A sequence of two phase-related pulses, well separated in time, is applied to the D1 line in Na vapor. When the phase between the two pulses is scanned, oscillations in the incoherent fluorescence are observed. This demonstrates the well-defined phase relationship between the pulses. Measuring the amplitude of the oscillations as a function of pulse separation yields the Na optical coherence decay. A beat arising from the ground-state hyperfine splitting is observed, and the results agree well with calculation.