Dual frequency-comb spectroscopy of chromophores in condensed phases

Femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy and frequency-comb spectroscopy have been individually developed to achieve better time and frequency resolutions, respectively. The two spectroscopic techniques have been developed for different systems, even though they use mode-locked laser in common. Recently, there was an interesting merge of the two techniques into a dual frequency-comb (DFC) spectroscopy, resulting in a new femtosecond spectroscopy with simple instrumentation and high data acquisition speed compared to conventional femtosecond spectroscopic techniques. By slightly detuning the repetition rates of two phase-locked frequency-comb lasers, both automatic time-delay scanning and parallel data recording with single point detectors are possible. Thus, we anticipate that the DFC spectroscopy would allow one to expand the application limits of the conventional femtosecond spectroscopic methods. In this Perspective article, we provide reviews of linear and nonlinear DFC spectroscopy theory and applications with a perspective on the development of coherent multidimensional frequency-comb spectroscopy.