Abstract

Early in the study of nuclear magnetic resonance, it was recognized that coherent transient signals could possess shapes highly correlated with the radio frequency pulses used to generate them.¹ Similar results were observed in the case of optical coherent transients.² The information necessary to recreate the excitation pulse shapes has traditionally been seen to reside in the polarization of the sample or in the population difference between two energy states. Information so stored is constrained to relax at rates determined by the transverse T₂ or the longitudinal T₁, relaxation times of the excited nuclear or optical transition. Owing to the shortness of T₁ and T₂, coherent transient pulse shape storage has been viewed previously as having limited utility.

© 1985 Optical Society of America