Raman response function of atmospheric air

A model of the full Raman response function of a gas mixture including rotational and vibrational motions of molecules is presented and is applied to examine the properties of the retarded optical nonlinearity of atmospheric air. For few-cycle laser pulses, broadband field waveforms, and/or high gas temperatures, both rotational and vibrational motions can significantly contribute to the Raman response of atmospheric air, with the ratio of the rotational and vibrational parts of the Raman response function controlled by the gas temperature and the temporal shape of the laser field. (C) 2007 Optical Society of America.