Progress made during the last few years in nonlinear optics and quantum electronics has significantly increased our understanding of the interactionbetween light and matter. Of great importance are third-order nonlinear Raman techniques such as CARS, RIKES, SRS, and DFWM. This book reflects the state of the art in coherent Raman spectroscopy. The contributions together provide an overview of the various Raman techniques that make available information about the fine structure of molecular energy levels, the collisional dynamics of atoms and molecules, and processes of internal energy disipation. Some of the contributions also report on the application of local, nonperturbing diagnosic methods forthe determination of parameters such as composition, temperature, density, velocity, and energy distribution between the internal degrees of freedom.weiterlesen