Electron response of metallic clusters to strong laser pulses and energetic ion collisons

We investigate the electron dynamics of Na₉ ⁺ excited by strong fs laser pulses and fast proton collisions. Non-perturbative numerical simulations are performed using time-dependent density-functional methods on a semiclassical and fully quantal level. Both excitation mechanisms induce pronounced dipole oscillations accompanied by rapid ionization.     

Optimal control of ultrafast laser driven many-electron dynamics in a polyatomic molecule: N-methyl-6-quinolone

We report time-dependent configuration interaction singles calculations for the ultrafast laser driven many-electron dynamics in a polyatomic molecule, N-methyl-6-quinolone. We employ optimal control theory to achieve a nearly state-selective excitation from the S(0) to the S(1) state, on a time scale of a few ( approximately 6) femtoseconds. The optimal control scheme is shown to correct for effects opposing a state-selective transition, such as multiphoton transitions and other, nonlinear phenomena, which are induced by the ultrashort and intense laser fields. In contrast, simple two-level pi pulses are not effective in state-selective excitations when very short pulses are used. Also, the dependence of multiphoton and nonlinear effects on the number of states included in the dynamical simulations is investigated.     

Response of solid Ne upon photoexcitation of a NO impurity: a quantum dynamics study

The ultrafast geometrical rearrangement dynamics of NO doped cryogenic Ne matrices after femtosecond laser pulse excitation is studied using a quantum dynamical approach based on a multi-dimensional shell model, with the shell radii being the dynamical variables. The Ne-NO interaction being only weakly anisotropic allows the model to account for the main dynamical features of the rare gas solid. Employing quantum wave packet propagation within the time dependent Hartree approximation, both, the static deformation of the solid due to the impurity and the dynamical response after femtosecond excitation, are analysed. The photoinduced dynamics of the surrounding rare gas atoms is found to be a complex high-dimensional process. The approach allows to consider realistic time-dependent femtosecond pulses and the effect of the pulse duration is clearly shown. Finally, using the pulse parameters of previous experiments, pump-probe signals are calculated and found to be in good agreement with experimental results, allowing for a clear analysis of the ultrafast mechanism of the energy transfer into the solid.     

Dynamics of molecules in strong oscillating electric fields using time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory

Restricted and unrestricted forms of time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory have been implemented and used to study the electronic dynamics of ethene, benzene, and the formaldehyde cation subjected to both weak and strong oscillating electric fields. Absorption spectra and frequency-dependent polarizabilities are calculated via the instantaneous dipole moment and its derivative. In the weak field limit the computed excitation energies agree very well with those obtained using linearized time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory, which is valid only in the low-field perturbation limit. For strong fields the spectra show higher-order excitations, and a shift in the position of the excitations, which is due to the nonadiabatic response of the molecules to the field. For open-shell systems in the presence of strong oscillating electric fields, unrestricted time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory predicts the value of S(2) to vary strongly with time.     

Analysis and prediction of absorption band shapes, fluorescence band shapes, resonance Raman intensities, and excitation profiles using the time-dependent theory of electronic spectroscopy

A general method for the simulation of absorption (ABS) and fluorescence band shapes, resonance-Raman (rR) spectra, and excitation profiles based on the time-dependent theory of Heller is discussed. The following improvements to Heller's theory have been made: (a) derivation of new recurrence relations for the time-dependent wave packet overlap in the case of frequency changes between the ground and electronically excited states, (b) a new series expansion that gives insight into the nature of Savin's preresonance approximation, (c) incorporation of inhomogeneous broadening effects into the formalism at no additional computational cost, and (d) derivation of a new and simple short-time dynamics based equation for the Stokes shift that remains valid in the case of partially resolved vibrational structure. Our implementation of the time-dependent theory for the fitting of experimental spectra and the simulation of model spectra as well as the quantum mechanical calculation of the model parameters is discussed. The implementation covers all electronic structure approaches which are able to deliver ground- and excited-state energies and transition dipole moments. The technique becomes highly efficient if analytic gradients for the excited-state surface are available. In this case, the computational cost for the simultaneous prediction of ABS, fluorescence, and rR spectra is equal to that of a single excited-state geometry optimization step while the limitations of the short-time dynamics approximation are completely avoided. As a test case we discuss the well-known case of the strongly allowed 1 (1)A(g) --> 1 (1)B(u) transition in 1,3,5 trans-hexatriene in detail using method ranging from simple single-reference treatments to elaborate multireference electronic structure approaches. At the highest computational level, the computed spectra show the best agreement that has so far been obtained with quantum chemical methods for this problem.     

Ultrafast studies of gold, nickel, and palladium nanorods

Steady state and ultrafast transient absorption studies have been carried out for gold, nickel, and palladium high aspect ratio nanorods. For each metal, nanorods were fabricated by electrochemical deposition into approximately 6 microm thick polycarbonate templates. Two nominal pore diameters(10 and 30 nm, resulting in nanorod diameters of about 40 and 60 nm, respectively) were used, yielding nanorods with high aspect ratios (>25). Static spectra of nanorods of all three metals reveal both a longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (SPR(L)) band in the mid-infrared as well as a transverse band in the visible for the gold and larger diameter nickel and palladium nanorods. The appearance of SPR(L) bands in the infrared for high aspect ratio metal nanorods and the trends in their maxima for the different aspect ratios and metals are consistent with calculations based on the Gans theory. For the gold and nickel samples, time resolved studies were performed with a subpicosecond resolution using 400 nm excitation and a wide range of probe wavelengths from the visible to the mid-IR as well as for infrared excitation (near 2000 cm(-1)) probed at 800 nm. The dynamics observed for nanorods of both metals and both diameters include transients due to electron-phonon coupling and impulsively excited coherent acoustic breathing mode oscillations, which are similar to those previously reported for spherical and smaller rod-shaped gold nanoparticles. The dynamics we observe are the same within the experimental uncertainty for 400 nm and infrared (5 microm) excitation probed at 800 nm. The transient absorption using 400 nm excitation and 800 nm probe pulses of the palladium nanorods also reveal coherent acoustic oscillations. The results demonstrate that the dynamics for high aspect ratio metal nanorods are similar to those for smaller nanoparticles.     

Laser control of molecular excitations in stochastic dissipative media

In the present work, ideas for controlling photochemical reactions in dissipative environments using shaped laser pulses are presented. New time-local control algorithms for the stochastic Schro?dinger equation are introduced and compared to their reduced density matrix analog. The numerical schemes rely on time-dependent targets for guiding the reaction along a preferred path. The methods are tested on the vibrational control of adsorbates at metallic surfaces and on the ultrafast electron dynamics in a strong dissipative medium. The selective excitation of the specific states is achieved with improved yield when using the new algorithms. Both methods exhibit similar convergence behavior and results compare well with those obtained using local optimal control for the reduced density matrix. The favorable scaling of the methods allows to tackle larger systems and to control photochemical reactions in dissipative media of molecules with many more degrees of freedom.     

Transition state theory for laser-driven reactions

Recent developments in transition state theory brought about by dynamical systems theory are extended to time-dependent systems such as laser-driven reactions. Using time-dependent normal form theory, the authors construct a reaction coordinate with regular dynamics inside the transition region. The conservation of the associated action enables one to extract time-dependent invariant manifolds that act as separatrices between reactive and nonreactive trajectories and thus make it possible to predict the ultimate fate of a trajectory. They illustrate the power of our approach on a driven Henon-Heiles system, which serves as a simple example of a reactive system with several open channels. The present generalization of transition state theory to driven systems will allow one to study processes such as the control of chemical reactions through laser pulses.     

Laser control of vibrational excitation in carboxyhemoglobin: a quantum wave packet study

A coherent control algorithm is applied to obtain complex-shaped infrared laser pulses for the selective vibrational excitation of carbon monoxide at the active site of carbonmonoxyhemoglobin, modeled by the six-coordinated iron-porphyrin-imidazole-CO complex. The influence of the distal histidine is taken into account by an additional imidazole molecule. Density-functional theory is employed to calculate a multidimensional ground-state potential energy surface, and the vibrational dynamics as well as the laser interaction is described by quantum wave-packet calculations. At each instant in time, the optimal electric field is calculated and used for the subsequent quantum dynamics. The results presented show that the control scheme is applicable to complex systems and that it yields laser pulses with complex time-frequency structures, which, nevertheless, have a clear physical interpretation.     

Ab initio design of picosecond infrared laser pulses for controlling vibrational-rotational excitation of CO molecules

Optimal control of rovibrational excitations of the CO molecule using picosecond infrared laser pulses is described in the framework of the electric-nuclear Born-Oppenheimer approximation [G. G. Balint-Kurti et al., J. Chem. Phys. 122, 084110 (2005)]. The potential energy surface of the CO molecule in the presence of an electric field is calculated using coupled cluster theory with a large orbital basis set. The quantum dynamics of the process is treated using a full three dimensional treatment of the molecule in the laser field. The detailed mechanisms leading to efficient control of the selected excitation processes are discussed.     

Laser control of electronic transitions of wave packet by using quadratically chirped pulses

An effective scheme is proposed for the laser control of wave packet dynamics. It is demonstrated that by using specially designed quadratically chirped pulses, fast and nearly complete excitation of wave packet can be achieved without significant distortion of its shape. The parameters of the laser pulse can be estimated analytically from the Zhu-Nakamura theory of nonadiabatic transition. If the wave packet is not too narrow or not too broad, then the scheme is expected to be utilizable for multidimensional systems. The scheme is applicable to various processes such as simple electronic excitation, pump-dump, and selective bond breaking, and it is actually numerically demonstrated to work well by taking diatomic and triatomic molecules (LiH, NaK, H(2)O) as examples.     

Probing Electronic Symmetry Reduction during Charge Migration via Time-Resolved X-Ray Diffraction

The present work focuses on probing ultrafast charge migration after symmetry-breaking excitation using ultrashort laser pulses. LiCN is chosen as prototypical system because it can be oriented in the laboratory frame and it possesses optically-accessible charge transfer states at low energies. The charge migration is simulated within the hybrid time-dependent density functional theory/configuration interaction framework. Time-resolved electronic current densities and simulated time-resolved x-ray diffraction signals are used to unravel the mechanism of charge migration. Our simulations demonstrate that specific choices of laser polarization lead to a control over the symmetry of the induced charge migration. Moreover, time-resolved x-ray diffraction signals are shown to encode transient symmetry reduction at intermediate times.     

Charge-transfer excited states in a pi-stacked adenine dimer, as predicted using long-range-corrected time-dependent density functional theory

The lowest few electronic excitations of a pi-stacked adenine dimer in its B-DNA geometry are investigated, in the gas phase and in a water cluster, using a long-range-corrected version of time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) that asymptotically incorporates Hartree-Fock exchange. Long-range correction is shown to eliminate the catastrophic underestimation of charge-transfer (CT) excitation energies that plagues conventional TD-DFT, at the expense of introducing one adjustable parameter, mu, that determines the length scale on which Hartree-Fock exchange is turned on. This parameter allows us to interpolate smoothly between hybrid density functionals and time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory. Excitation energies for CT states (in which an electron is transferred from one adenine molecule to the other) are found to increase dramatically as a function of mu. Uncorrected hybrid functionals underestimate the CT excitation energies, placing them well below the valence excitations, while time-dependent Hartree-Fock calculations place these states well above the valence states. Values for mu determined from certain benchmark calculations place the CT states well above the valence pipi* and npi* states at the Franck-Condon point.     

Cooperative photochemical reaction mechanism of femtosecond laser-induced photocoloration in spirooxazine microcrystals.

Microcrystalline powders of spirooxazine and spiropyran compounds do not show photocoloration under steady-state illumination, whereas they undergo photochromism on intense femtosecond laser-pulse excitation. We investigated the characteristic mechanism of the crystalline photochromism by studying the photocoloration of spironaphthooxazine (SNO) and its chloro-substituted derivative (Cl-SNO) with our femtosecond diffuse-reflectance spectroscopic system. In particular, femtosecond double-pulse excitation using 390+780-nm pulses and 390+390-nm pulses, with a variable time interval between the two pulses, was applied to reveal an intermediate species involved in the photocoloration. Although 780-nm excitation of an intermediate produced by 390-nm excitation did not lead to isomerization, the 390+390-nm excitation resulted in photocoloration. The yield for SNO decreased on increasing the interval from 40 ps to 5 ns, while that for Cl-SNO was constant. The photocoloration mechanism in the crystalline phase is considered from the viewpoint of the time-dependent density of short-lived transient species, and it is concluded that cooperative interactions of excited states and nonplanar open forms play an important role in femtosecond laser-induced photochromism in these crystals.     

Efficient and robust strong-field control of population transfer in sensitizer dyes with designed femtosecond laser pulses

We demonstrate control of electronic population transfer in molecules with the help of appropriately shaped femtosecond laser pulses. To this end we investigate two photosensitizer dyes in solution being prepared in the triplet ground state. Excitation within the triplet system is followed by intersystem crossing and the corresponding singlet fluorescence is monitored as a measure of population transfer in the triplet system. We record control landscapes with respect to the fluorescence intensity on both dyes by a systematic variation of laser pulse shapes combining second order and third order dispersion. In the strong-field regime we find highly structured topologies with large areas of maximum or minimum population transfer being insensitive over a certain range of applied laser intensities thus demonstrating robustness. We then compare our experimental results with simulations on generic molecular potentials by solving the time-dependent Schr?dinger equation for excitation with shaped pulses. Control landscapes with respect to population transfer confirm the general trends from experiments. An analysis of regions with maximum or minimum population transfer indicates that coherent processes are responsible for the outcome of our excitation process. The physical mechanisms of joint motion of ground and excited state wave packets or population of a vibrational eigenstate in the excited state permit us to discuss the molecular dynamics in an atom-like picture.     

Selective nonlinear response preparation using femtosecond spectrally resolved four-wave-mixing

A novel method is presented to assist the assignment of vibrational coherence in the homodyne degenerate four-wave-mixing technique. The dependence of vibrational coherence dynamics on the interaction sequence of chirped pump and Stokes excitation pulses is exploited to distinguish quantum beating from polarization interference. Moreover, by combining chirped excitation and variable delays between pump and Stokes pulses, it is possible to achieve a controlled excitation of response pathways from a single electronic state and separation of population dynamics and vibrational coherence dynamics within a single response pathway. Numerical simulations are performed in the response function framework, which clearly show that such an approach applies for oscillatory contributions originated in the electronically excited state as well as in the ground state. The approach is experimentally demonstrated in three different polyatomic molecules in solution.     

Quantum dynamics study of fulvene double bond photoisomerization: the role of intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution and excitation energy

The double bond photoisomerization of fulvene has been studied with quantum dynamics calculations using the multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method. Fulvene is a test case to develop optical control strategies based on the knowledge of the excited state decay mechanism. The decay takes place on a time scale of several hundred femtoseconds, and the potential energy surface is centered around a conical intersection seam between the ground and excited state. The competition between unreactive decay and photoisomerization depends on the region of the seam accessed during the decay. The dynamics are carried out on a four-dimensional model surface, parametrized from complete active space self-consistent field calculations, that captures the main features of the seam (energy and locus of the seam and associated branching space vectors). Wave packet propagations initiated by single laser pulses of 5-25 fs duration and 1.85-4 eV excitation energy show the principal characteristics of the first 150 fs of the photodynamics. Initially, the excitation energy is transferred to a bond stretching mode that leads the wave packet to the seam, inducing the regeneration of the reactant. The photoisomerization starts after the vibrational energy has flowed from the bond stretching to the torsional mode. In our propagations, intramolecular energy redistribution (IVR) is accelerated for higher excess energies along the bond stretch mode. Thus, the competition between unreactive decay and isomerization depends on the rate of IVR between the bond stretch and torsion coordinates, which in turn depends on the excitation energy. These results set the ground for the development of future optical control strategies.     

Quantum control of vibrational excitations in a heteronuclear diatomic molecule

Optimal control theory is applied to obtain infrared laser pulses for selective vibrational excitation in a heteronuclear diatomic molecule. The problem of finding the optimized field is phrased as a maximization of a cost functional which depends on the laser field. A time dependent Gaussian factor is introduced in the field prior to evaluation of the cost functional for better field shape. Conjugate gradient method^21,24 is used for optimization of constructed cost functional. At each instant of time, the optimal electric field is calculated and used for the subsequent quantum dynamics, within the dipole approximation. The results are obtained using both Morse potential as well as potential energy obtained using ab initio calculations.