Quantum State Holography

Abstract

We introduce a method for reconstructing quantum superposition states excited in molecules or atoms by short laser pulses. The technique is based on mixing the unknown object state with a known reference state generated in the same system by an additional delayed laser pulse, and detecting the total time- and frequency-integrated fluorescence as a function of the delay. We demonstrate the feasibility of the method by reconstructing various vibrational wave packets in sodium dimers.