The delay time dependence of the photoelectron spectra and state populations of three-level ladder K2 molecule

The delay time dependence of photoelectron spectra and state populations of three-level ladder K₂ molecule is investigated by pump-probe pulses via time-dependent wave packet approach. The periodical motion of the wave packet with oscillating period 500 fs results in the periodical variation of photoelectron spectra. The photoelectron spectra show Autler-Townes double splitting at zero delay time, and no splitting at positive delay time. The periodical change of state populations with delay time can be ascribed to the coupling effect between the two pulses. It is found that the selectivity of the state populations may be attained by regulating the delay time. The results can provide some important basis for realizing the optical control of molecules experimentally.

     

Analysis of wave packet motion in frequency and time domain: oxazine 1

Wave packet motion in the laser dye oxazine 1 in methanol is investigated by spectrally resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. The spectral range of 600-690 nm was accessible by amplified broadband probe pulses covering the overlap region of ground-state bleach and stimulated emission signal. The influence of vibrational wave packets on the optical signal is analyzed in the frequency domain and the time domain. For the analysis in the frequency domain an algorithm is presented that accounts for interference effects of neighbored vibrational modes. By this method amplitude, phase and decay time of vibrational modes are retrieved as a function of probe wavelength and distortions due to neighbored modes are reduced. The analysis of the data in the time domain yields complementary information on the intensity, central wavelength, and spectral width of the optical bleach spectrum due to wave packet motion.     

Femtosecond spectroscopy of the (2)1Σ u + double minimum state of Na2: time domain and frequency spectroscopy

Femtosecond time resolved pump-probe experiments studying wave packet dynamics in the (2)¹Σ _u ⁺ double minimum state of Na₂ are reported. The experiments were performed in a molecular beam with ion Time of Flight (TOF) detection. By Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) of the observed time domain data the energy spacings of the coherently coupled vibrational levels in the (2)¹Σ _u ⁺ potential are obtained with an accuracy of 0.02 cm^?1, although an ultrafast laser source with its inherent spectral width was used in the experiment. The wavelengths of the pump and probe laser pulses are chosen such that in this two color experiment we can control ionisation versus ionisation induced fragmentation. In order to study the influence of the potential barrier on a vibrational wave packet motion we performed simulations based on time dependent quantum calculations.     

Ultrafast Intramolecular Relaxation and Wave‐Packet Motion in a Ruthenium‐Based Supramolecular Photocatalyst

The hydrogen‐evolving photocatalyst [(tbbpy)₂Ru(tpphz)Pd(Cl)₂]²⁺ (tbbpy=4,4′‐di‐tert‐butyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine, tpphz=tetrapyrido[3,2‐a:2′,3′‐c:3′′,2′′‐h:2′′′,3′′′‐j]phenazine) shows excitation‐wavelength‐dependent catalytic activity, which has been correlated to the localization of the initial excitation within the coordination sphere. In this contribution the excitation‐wavelength dependence of the early excited‐state relaxation and the occurrence of vibrational coherences are investigated by sub‐20 fs transient absorption spectroscopy and DFT/TDDFT calculations. The comparison with the mononuclear precursor [(tbbpy)₂Ru(tpphz)]²⁺ highlights the influence of the catalytic center on these ultrafast processes. Only in the presence of the second metal center, does the excitation of a ¹MLCT state localized on the central part of the tpphz bridge lead to coherent wave‐packet motion in the excited state.     

Time dependent wave packet treatment of 2ΠgN2− and 3Σ−NO− shape resonances using two‐dimensional surfaces for electron‐N2 and NO interactions

The ²Π_gN and ³Σ^?NO^? resonances in electron‐N₂ and NO collisions have been treated using both nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom and a two‐dimensional (2D) time dependent wave packet approach to ascertain the importance of nonlocality in electron–nuclear interaction. The results so obtained are compared with vibrational excitation cross‐sections obtained experimentally and those from other theoretical/numerical approaches using 1D local complex potential, 2D model with a combination of the exterior complex scaling method and a finite‐element implementation of the discrete‐variable representation. The results obtained provide detailed insight into the nuclear dynamics induced by electron–molecule collision and reveal that while for resonant excitation of lower vibrational modes, the nonlocal effect may not be as critical but importance of nonlocal effects may increase with increase in quanta of resonant vibrational excitation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

飞秒时间分辨的光电子影像研究氯化苄分子内转换动力学(英文)

结合时间分辨的飞秒光电子影像(TRPEI)技术和时间分辨的质谱技术,研究了氯化苄(BzCl)分子内转换动力学过程.从光电子影像中获得了光电子动能分布和角度分布.氯化苄分子吸收两个400nm的光子后从基态跃迁到S4态和S2态.获得的母体离子随泵浦-探测时间延迟变化的曲线可以用两个指数函数进行拟合,包括一个时间常数为50fs的快速组分和一个时间常数为910fs的慢速组分.通过分析光电子动能分布随延迟时间的变化,我们认为分子被激发到S4态后在很短的时间内与S2态发生耦合迅速弛豫到S2态,然后再经内转换(IC)弛豫到S1态.最初布居的激发态分子经过内转换弛豫到S1态的时间尺度为50fs.910fs的慢速时间组分反映了分子弛豫到S1态后,经内转换向基态S0的弛豫.光电子角度分布的各向异性参数从零时刻的0.87增加到25fs时的0.94,然后逐渐减小到190fs时刻的0.59的现象,也反映了氯化苄分子从S4态耦合到S2态,然后内转换到S1态的动力学过程.     

Electronic and Vibrational Coherence Dynamics in a Cyanine Dye Studied Using a Few‐Cycle Pulsed Laser

We report the relaxation times of electronic and vibrational coherence in the cyanine dye 1,1′,3,3,3′,3′‐hexamethyl‐4,4′,5,5′‐dibenzo‐2,2′‐indotricarbocyanine, measured using a 7.1 fs pulsed laser. The vibrational phase relaxation times are found to be between 380 and 680 fs in the ground and lowest excited singlet states. The vibrational dephasing times of the 294, 446, and 736 cm^?1 modes are relatively long among the six modes associated with excited‐state wave packets. The slower relaxations are explained in terms of a coupled triplet of vibrational modes, which preserves coherence by forming a tightly bound group to satisfy the condition of circa conservation of vibrational energy. Using data from the negative‐time range (i.e., when the probe pulse precedes the pump pulse), the electronic phase relaxation time is found to be 31±1 fs. The dynamic vibrational mode in the excited state (1171 cm^?1), detected in the positive‐time range, is also studied from the negative‐time traces under the same experimental conditions.     

Chirp dependence of wave packet motion in oxazine 1

The motion of vibrational wave packets in the system oxazine 1 in methanol is investigated by spectrally resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. The spectral properties of the probe pulse from 600 to 700 nm were chosen to cover the overlap region where ground-state bleach and stimulated emission signals are detected. The spectral phase of the pump pulse was manipulated by a liquid crystal display based pulse-shaping setup. Chirped excitation pulses of negative and positive chirp can be used to excite vibrational modes predominantly in the ground or excited state, respectively. To distinguish the observed wave packets in oxazine 1 moving in the ground or excited state, spectrally resolved transient absorption experiments are performed for various values of the linear chirp of the pump pulses. The amplitudes of the wave packet motion show an asymmetric behavior with an optimum signal for a negative chirp of -0.75 +/- 0.2 fs/nm, which indicates that predominantly ground-state wave packets are observed.     

Femtochemistry of trans‐Azomethane: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study

The dissociation dynamics of trans‐azomethane upon excitation to the S₁(n,π*) state with a total energy of 93 kcal mol^?1 is investigated using femtosecond‐resolved mass spectrometry in a molecular beam. The transient signal shows an opposite pump–probe excitation feature for the UV (307 nm) and the visible (615 nm) pulses at the perpendicular polarization in comparison with the signal obtained at the parallel polarization: The one‐photon symmetry‐forbidden process excited by the UV pulse is dominant at the perpendicular polarization, whereas the two‐photon symmetry‐allowed process initiated by the visible pulse prevails at the parallel polarization. At the perpendicular polarization, we found that the two C? N bonds of the molecule break in a stepwise manner, that is, the first C? N bond breaks in ≈70 fs followed by the second one in ≈100 fs, with the intermediate characterized. At the parallel polarization, the first C? N bond cleavage was found to occur in 100 fs with the intensity of the symmetry‐allowed transition being one order of magnitude greater than the intensity of the symmetry‐forbidden transition at the perpendicular polarization. Theoretical calculations using time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and the complete active space self‐consistent field (CASSCF) method have been carried out to characterize the potential energy surface for the ground state, the low‐lying excited states, and the cationic ground state at various levels of theory. Combining the experimental and theoretical results, we identified the elementary steps in the mechanism: The initial driving force of the ultrafast bond‐breaking process of trans‐azomethane (at the perpendicular polarization) is due to the CNNC torsional motion initiated by the vibronic coupling through an intensity‐borrowing mechanism for the symmetry‐forbidden n–π* transition. Following this torsional motion and the associated molecular symmetry breaking, an S₀/S₁ conical intersection (CI) can be reached at a torsional angle of 93.1° (predicted at the CASSCF(8,7)/cc‐pVDZ level of theory). Funneling through the S₀/S₁ CI could activate the asymmetric C? N stretching motion, which is the key motion for the consecutive C? N bond breakages on the femtosecond time scale.     

A theoretical study on the ionization of furan with analysis of vibrational structure of the photoelectron spectra

Summary Ab initio calculations have been performed to study on the molecular structures and the vibrational levels of the low-lying ionic states (²A₂ and²B₁) of furan. The equilibrium molecular structures and vibrational modes of these states are presented. The theoretical ionization intensity curves including the vibrational structures of the low-lying two ionic states are also presented and compared with the photoelectron spectrum. A number of new assignments of the photoelectron spectra are proposed.     

Nonadiabatic photodissociation dynamics

The photodissociation dynamics of the triatomic (or pseudo‐triatomic) system in the nonadiabatic multiple electronic states is investigated by employing a time‐dependent quantum wave packet method, while the time propagation of the wave packet is carried out using the split‐operator scheme. As a numerical example, the photodissociation dynamics of CH₃I in three electronic states ¹Q₁(A′), ¹Q₁(A″), and ³Q₀₊ is studied and CH₃I is treated as a pseudotriatomic model. The absorption spectra and product vibrational state distributions are calculated and compared with previous theoretical work. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Quenched by ice: transient grating measurements of vibronic dynamics in bromine-doped ice

In both water and in ice, the absorption spectra of bromine are dramatically broadened and blueshifted, and all fluorescence is quenched. Time resolved, electronically resonant transient grating measurements are carried out to characterize the vibronic dynamics of the trapped molecule in its electronic B(3Pi0u) state in ice. Independent of the initial excitation energy, after the first half-period of motion, a vibrational packet is observed to oscillate near the bottom of the potential, near nu=1. The oscillations undergo a chirped decay to a terminal frequency of 169 cm(-1) on a time scale of taunu=1240 fs, to form the stationary nu=0 level. The electronic population in the B state decays in taue=1500 fs. Adiabatic following to the cage-compression coordinate is a plausible origin of the chirp. Analysis of the absorption spectrum is provided to recognize that solvent coordinates are directly excited in the process. The observed blueshift of the absorption is modeled by considering the Br2-OH2 complex. Two-dimensional simulations, that explicitly include the solvent coordinate, reproduce both the time data and the absorption spectrum. The observed sharp vibrational recursions can be explained by overdamped motion along the solvent coordinate, and wave packet focusing by fast dissipation during the first half-period of motion of the molecular coordinate.     

Femtosecond degenerate four-wave-mixing measurements of coherent intramolecular vibrations in an ultrafast electron transfer system

Femtosecond degenerate four-wave-mixing (DFWM) spectroscopy was carried out to investigate the behavior of coherent wavepacket motion in an ultrafast intermolecular electron transfer (ET) system which consists of a dye molecule, oxazine 1 (Ox1), in an electron donating solvent, N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA). Due to the ultrafast ET in DMA with time constant of ca. 59–81 fs, acceleration of the vibrational dephasing for the excited state mode at 562 cm⁻¹ was observed by the DFWM measurement and confirmed by pump-probe (PP) spectroscopy. Interestingly, the dephasing time of the excited state mode in DMA is in the order of 160–240 fs, which is significantly longer than the time constant of ET, which indicates that the oscillation is not diminished instantaneously by the ET but somewhat persists into the product state.     

A theoretical study on the ionization of tetrafluoroethylene with analysis of vibrational structure of the photoelectron spectra

Ab initio calculations have been performed to study on the molecular structures and the vibrational levels of the low-lying ionic states (²B_2u,²A_g,²B_2g,²B_3u,²A_u,²B_1g,²B_1u, and²B_3g) of tetrafluoroethylene. The equilibrium molecular structures and vibrational modes of these states are presented. The theoretical ionization intensity curves including the vibrational structures of the low-lying eight ionic states are also presented and compared with the photoelectron spectrum. Some new assignments of the photoelectron spectra are proposed.     

Wavelength-dependent Photodissociation Dynamics of Benzaldehyde

The ultrafast dynamics of benzaldehyde upon 260, 271, 284, and 287 nm excitations have been studied by femtosecond pinup-probe time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A bi-exponential decay component model was applied to fit the transient profiles of benzaldehyde ions and fragment ions. At the S2 origin, the first decay of the component was attributed to the internal conversion to the high vibrational levels of S1 state. Lifetimes of the first component decreased with increasing vibrational energy, due to the influence of high density of the vibrational levels. The second decay was assigned to the vibrational relaxation of the S1 whose lifetime was about 600 fs. Upon 287 nm excitation, the first decay became ultra-short （-56 fs） which was taken for the intersystem cross from S1 to T2, while the second decay component was attributed to the vibrational relaxation. The pump-probe transient of fragment was also studied with the different probe intensity at 284 nm pump.     

Three-dimensional quantum dynamics study of vibrational predissociation of HeI2 van der Waals molecule for low vibrational excitation using the time-dependent wave packet method

Three-dimensional quantum mechanical calculations for vibrational predissociation of He1₂(B) van der Waals molecules are presented using the time-dependent wave packet technique within the golden rule approximation. The total and partial decay widths, lifetimes, rates and their dependence on initial vibrational states were obtained for HeI₂ at low initial vibrational excited levels. Our calculations show that the calculated total decay widths, lifetimes and rates agree well with those extrapolated from experimental data available. The predicted total decay widths as a function of initial vibrational states exhibit highly nonlinear behavior. The very short propagation time (less than 1 ps) required in the golden rule wave packet calculation is determined by the duration time of the final state interaction between the fragments on the vibrationally deexcited adiabatic potential surface. The final state interaction between the fragments is shown to play an important role in determining the final rotational distribution. This interpretation clearly explains the dynamical effect that the final rotational distribution shifts to the lower rotational energy levels as the initial vibrational quantum numberu increases.     

Quantum-classical wave packet calculations for the O(1D) + N2O → NO + NO/N2 + O2 reaction

Mixed quantum-classical calculations have been carried out for the O(¹D) + N₂O reaction with an emphasis on the effect of the relative translational energy as well as initial vibrational state of N₂O on the NO + NO/N₂ + O₂ product branching. The calculations were done within a planar constraint using a five-dimensional analytical potential energy surface previously developed by our group. Three vibrational coordinates in the N₂O molecule were treated with a quantum wave packet technique while other two degrees of freedom, translational and angular motions of O(¹D) with respect to N₂O, were described with classical mechanics. We have found that the initial orientation angle significantly affects the NO + NO/N₂ + O₂ product branching similar to our previous classical trajectory result using the same potential surface. It has been also found that the branching ratio decreases as the translational energy increases except for a low energy region. Excitation of the initial vibrational state of the N₂O reactant does not largely affect the reaction dynamics.     

Global Minimum‐Energy Structure and Spectroscopic Properties of I2.−⋅n H2O Clusters: A Monte Carlo Simulated Annealing Study

The vibrational (IR and Raman) and photoelectron spectral properties of hydrated iodine‐dimer radical‐anion clusters, I₂^.? ? n H₂O (n=1–10), are presented. Several initial guess structures are considered for each size of cluster to locate the global minimum‐energy structure by applying a Monte Carlo simulated annealing procedure including spin–orbit interaction. In the Raman spectrum, hydration reduces the intensity of the I? I stretching band but enhances the intensity of the O? H stretching band of water. Raman spectra of more highly hydrated clusters appear to be simpler than the corresponding IR spectra. Vibrational bands due to simultaneous stretching vibrations of O? H bonds in a cyclic water network are observed for I₂^.? ? n H₂O clusters with n≥3. The vertical detachment energy (VDE) profile shows stepwise saturation that indicates closing of the geometrical shell in the hydrated clusters on addition of every four water molecules. The calculated VDE of finite‐size small hydrated clusters is extrapolated to evaluate the bulk VDE value of I₂^.? in aqueous solution as 7.6 eV at the CCSD(T) level of theory. Structure and spectroscopic properties of these hydrated clusters are compared with those of hydrated clusters of Cl₂^.? and Br₂^.?.     

Femtosecond dynamics of excited-state intramolecular proton transfer in <Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-tosylaminobenzaldehyde

Dynamics of excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) in o-tosylaminobenzaldehyde has been studied by femtosecond absorption spectroscopy with a time resolution of 30 fs. The characteristic time of this process is ∼100 fs. Differential absorption rate curves exhibit oscillations that are consistent with theoretically predicted ESIPT-promoting vibrational modes. Efficient nonradiative deactivation with a rate constant of 6.25 × 10¹⁰ s⁻¹ occurs in the excited product of proton transfer, with internal rotation followed by intersystem crossing being one of the feasible deactivation pathways.     

Ultrafast Dynamics Through Conical Intersections in 2,6-dimethylpyridine Studied with Time-resolved Photoelectron Imaging

The ultrafast dynamics through conical intersections in 2,6-dimethylpyridine has been stud-ied by femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron imaging coupled with time-resolved mass spectroscopy. Upon absorption of 266 nm pump laser, 2,6-dimethylpyridine is excited to the S₂ state with a ππ^* character from S₀state. The time evolution of the parent ion sig-nals consists of two exponential decays. One is a fast component on a timescale of 635 fs and the other is a slow component with a timescale of 4.37 ps. Time-dependent photo-electron angular distributions and energy-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy are extracted from time-resolved photoelectron imaging and provide the evolutive information of S₂ state. In brief, the ultrafast component is a population transfer from S₂ to S₁ through the S₂/S₁ conical intersections, the slow component is attributed to simultaneous IC from the S₂ state and the higher vibrational levels of S₁ state to S₀ state, which involves the coupling of S₂/S₀ and S₁/S₀ conical intersections. Additionally, the observed ultrafast S₂→S₁ transition occurs only with an 18% branching ratio.