Abstract

In conventional pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance using rf fields, the occurrence of a whole class of coherent transient spin phenomena is well known.¹ We report on the optical creation and detection of spin nutation, free induction decay (FID), and spin echoes; here resonant laser pulses excite the spin coherence, and the spin transients are observed by using a cw optical probe beam for detection. This purely optical technique may offer new possibilities of obtaining detailed information on time-dependent interactions in gases and solids with high precision and sensitivity.

© 1987 Optical Society of America