Ultrafast dynamics of isolated fluorenone

The ultrafast dynamics of isolated 9-fluorenone was studied by femtosecond time-resolved photoionization and photoelectron spectroscopy. The molecule was excited around 264-266 nm into the S(6) state. The experimental results indicate that the excitation is followed by a multistep deactivation. A time constant of 50 fs or less corresponds to a fast redistribution of energy within the initially excited manifold of states, i.e., a motion away from the Franck-Condon region. Internal conversion to the S(1) state then proceeds within 0.4 ps. The S(1) state is long-lived, and only a lower bound of 20 ps can be derived. In addition, we computed excited state energies and oscillator strengths by TD-DFT theory, supporting the interpretation of the experimental data.     

Detailed dynamics of the nonradiative deactivation of adenine: a semiclassical dynamics study

A realistic dynamics simulation study is reported for the ultrafast radiationless deactivation of 9H-adenine. The simulation follows two different excitations induced by two 80 fs (fwhm) laser pulses that are different in energy: one has a photon energy of 5.0 eV, and the other has a photon energy of 4.8 eV. The simulation shows that the excited molecule decays to the electronic ground state from the (1)pipi* state in both excitations but through two different radiationless pathways: in the 5.0 eV excitation, the decay channel involves the out-of-plane vibration of the amino group, whereas in the 4.8 eV excitation, the decay strongly associates with the deformation of the pyrimidine at the C 2 atom. The lifetime of the (1) npi* state determined in the simulation study is 630 fs for the 5.0 eV excitation and 1120 fs for the 4.8 eV excitation. These are consistent with the experimental values of 750 and 1000 fs. We conclude that the experimentally observed difference in the lifetime of the (1) npi* state at various excitations results from the different radiationless deactivation pathways of the excited molecule to the electronic ground state.     

Exploring ultrafast H-atom elimination versus photofragmentation pathways in pyrazole following 200 nm excitation

The role of ultraviolet photoresistance in many biomolecules (e.g., DNA bases and amino acids) has been extensively researched in recent years. This behavior has largely been attributed to the participation of dissociative (1)πσ* states localized along X-H (X ═ N, O) bonds, which facilitate an efficient means for rapid nonradiative relaxation back to the electronic ground state via conical intersections or ultrafast H-atom elimination. One such species known to exhibit this characteristic photochemistry is the UV chromophore imidazole, a subunit in the biomolecules adenine and histidine. However, the (1)πσ* driven photochemistry of its structural isomer pyrazole has received much less attention, both experimentally and theoretically. Here, we probe the ultrafast excited state dynamics occurring in pyrazole following photoexcitation at 200 nm (6.2 eV) using two experimental methodologies. The first uses time-resolved velocity map ion imaging to investigate the ultrafast H-atom elimination dynamics following direct excitation to the lowest energy (1)πσ* state (1(1)A" ← X(1)A'). These results yield a bimodal distribution of eliminated H-atoms, situated at low and high kinetic energies, the latter of which we attribute to (1)πσ* mediated N-H fission. The time constants extracted for the low and high energy features are ~120 and <50 fs, respectively. We also investigate the role of ring deformation relaxation pathways from the first optically bright (1)ππ* state (2(1)A' ← X(1)A'), by performing time-resolved ion yield measurements. These results are modeled using a (1)ππ* → ring deformation → photofragmentation mechanism (a model based on comparison with theoretical calculations on the structural isomer imidazole) and all photofragments possess appearance time constants of <160 fs. A comparison between time-resolved velocity map ion imaging and time-resolved ion yield measurements suggest that (1)πσ* driven N-H fission gives rise to the dominant kinetic photoproducts, re-enforcing the important role (1)πσ* states have in the excited state dynamics of biological chromophores and related aromatic heterocycles.     

Femtosecond dynamics of cyclopropenylidene, c-C3H2

The photophysics of the B (1)B(1) state of isolated cyclopropenylidene, c-C(3)H(2), has been studied by femtosecond time-resolved photoionisation and photoelectron spectroscopy. The carbene was produced by flash pyrolysis of 3-chlorocycloprop-1-ene. The bands at 266.9 nm and 264.6 nm have been investigated. The excited state deactivates in a two step process. The first time constant of less than 50 fs corresponds most likely to a nonradiative transition to the A-state, the second one on the order of 200 fs describes the internal conversion to the electronic ground state. The data are compared to those measured for the chlorinated carbene c-C(3)HCl. In the photoelectron spectrum of c-C(3)H(2) resonances were observed which can be assigned to members of a Rydberg d-series.     

Excited states in electron-transfer reaction products: ultrafast relaxation dynamics of an isolated acceptor radical anion

The spectroscopy and ultrafast relaxation dynamics of excited states of the radical anion of a representative charge-transfer acceptor molecule, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane, have been studied in the gas phase using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. The photoelectron spectra reveal that at least two anion excited states are bound. Time-resolved studies show that both excited states are very short-lived and internally convert to the anion ground state, with the lower energy state relaxing within 200 fs and a near-threshold valence-excited state relaxing on a 60 fs time scale. These excited states, and in particular the valence-excited state, present efficient pathways for electron-transfer reactions in the highly exergonic inverted region which commonly displays rates exceeding predictions from electron-transfer theory.     

氯苯分子第一激发态超快动力学

利用时间分辨飞秒光电子影像技术结合时间分辨质谱技术, 研究了氯苯分子第一激发态的超快过程. 266.7 nm单光子将氯苯分子激发至第一激发态. 母体离子时间变化曲线包括了不同的双指数曲线. 一个是时间常数为(152±3) fs的快速组分, 另一个是时间常数为(749±21) ps的慢速组分. 通过时间分辨的光电子影像得到了时间分辨的光电子动能分布和角度分布. 时间常数为(152±3) fs的快速组分反映了第一激发态内部的能量转移过程, 这个过程归属为氯苯分子第一激发态耗散型振动驰豫过程. 时间常数为(749±21) ps的慢速组分反映了第一激发态的慢速内转换过程. 另外, 实验实时观察到典型的非对称陀螺分子(氯苯)激发态的非绝热准直和转动退相干现象. 并推算出第一次转动恢复时间为205.8 ps (C类型)和359.3 ps (J类型).     

Electron transfer dynamics from organic adsorbate to a semiconductor surface: zinc phthalocyanine on TiO2(110)

The femtosecond time evolutions of excited states in zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPC) films and at the interface with TiO2(110) have been studied by using time-resolved two-photon photoelectron spectroscopy (TR-2PPE). The excited states are prepared in the first singlet excited state (S1) with excess vibrational energy. Two different films are examined: ultrathin (monolayer) and thick films of approximately 30 A in thickness. The decay behavior depends on the thickness of the film. In the case of the thick film, TR-2PPE spectra are dominated by the signals from ZnPC in the film. The excited states decay with tau = 118 fs mainly by intramolecular vibrational relaxation. After the excited states cascaded down to near the bottom of the S1 manifold, they decay slowly (tau = 56 ps) although the states are located at above the conduction band minimum of the bulk TiO2. The exciton migration in the thick film is the rate-determining step for the electron transfer from the film to the bulk TiO2. In the case of the ultrathin film, the contribution of electron transfer is more evident. The excited states decay faster than those in the thick film, because the electron transfer competes with the intramolecular relaxation processes. The electronic coupling with empty bands in the conduction band of TiO2 plays an important role in the electron transfer. The lower limit of the electron-transfer rate was estimated to be 1/296 fs(-1). After the excited states relax to the states whose energy is below the conduction band minimum of TiO2, they decay much more slowly because the electron-transfer channel is not available for these states.     

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.     

Ultrafast dynamics in thiophene investigated by femtosecond pump probe photoelectron spectroscopy and theory

A hybrid of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer and a time-of-flight "magnetic-bottle type" photoelectron (PE) spectrometer is used for fs pump-probe investigations of the excited state dynamics of thiophene. A resonant two-photon ionization spectrum of the onset of the excited states has been recorded with a tunable UV laser of 190 fs pulse width. With the pump laser set to the first intense transition we find by UV probe ionization first a small time shift of the maxima in the PE spectrum and then a fast decay to a low constant intensity level. The fitted time constants are 80+/-10 fs, and 25+/-10 fs, respectively. Theoretical calculations show that upon geometry relaxation the electronic state order changes and conical intersections between excited states exist. We use the vertical state order S1, S2, S3 to define the terms S1, S2, and S3 for the characterization of the electron configuration of these states. On the basis of our theoretical result we discuss the electronic state order in the UV spectra and identify in the photoelectron spectrum the origin of the first cation excited state D1. The fast excited state dynamics agrees best with a vibrational dynamics in the photo-excited S1 (80+/-10 fs) and an ultrafast decay via a conical intersection, presumably a ring opening to the S3 state (25+/-10 fs). The subsequently observed weak constant signal is taken as an indication, that in the gas phase the ring-closure to S0 is slower than 50 ps. An ultrafast equilibrium between S1 and S2 before ring opening is not supported by our data.     

飞秒时间分辨的光电子影像对3-甲基吡啶分子超快动力学研究

利用飞秒时间分辨的光电子影像技术结合时间分辨的质谱技术,研究了3-甲基吡啶分子激发态的超快过程. 实时观察到了3-甲基吡啶分子S₂态向S₁态高振动能级的超快内转换过程,该内转换的时间大约为910fs. 二次布居的S₁态主要通过内转换衰减到基态S₀,该内转换的时间尺度为2.77 ps. 光电子能谱分布和光电子角分布显示,S₂态和S₁态在电离的过程中跟3p里德堡态发生偶然共振. 本次实验中还用400 nm两个光子吸收的方法布居了3-甲基吡啶的3s 里德堡态. 研究表明,3s 里德堡态的寿命为62 fs,并主要通过内转换快速衰减到基态.     

Femtosecond photoelectron imaging of transient electronic states and Rydberg atom emission from electronically excited he droplets

Ultrafast relaxation of electronically excited pure He droplets is investigated by femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron imaging. Droplets are excited by extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pulses with photon energies below 24 eV. Excited states and relaxation products are probed by ionization with an infrared (IR) pulse with 1.6 eV photon energy. An initially excited droplet state decays on a time scale of 220 fs, leading predominantly to the emission of unaligned 1s3d Rydberg atoms. In a second relaxation channel, electronically aligned 1s4p Rydberg atoms are emitted from the droplet within less than 120 fs. The experimental results are described within a model that approximates electronically excited droplet states by localized, atomic Rydberg states perturbed by the local droplet environment in which the atom is embedded. The model suggests that, below 24 eV, EUV excitation preferentially leads to states that are localized in the surface region of the droplet. Electronically aligned 1s4p Rydberg atoms are expected to originate from excitations in the outermost surface regions, while nonaligned 1s3d Rydberg atoms emerge from a deeper surface region with higher local densities. The model is used to simulate the He droplet EUV absorption spectrum in good agreement with previously reported fluorescence excitation measurements.     

Ultrafast dynamics of cyclohexene and cyclohexene-d10 excited at 200 nm.

By exciting cyclohexene in the gas phase at 200 nm and probing it by nonresonant multiphoton ionization with mass-selective detection of the ion yields, we found four time constants tau(i) (20, 47, 43, 350 fs). Whereas deuteration lengthens tau2 by a factor of 1.4, the other constants do not change. Tau1-tau3 represent traveling times through observation windows on excited surfaces, whereas tau4 reflects a process in the hot ground state. We assign tau1 (20 fs) to departure from the Franck-Condon regions of the Rydberg and pipi* states, which are both populated at 200 nm, and tau2 (47 fs) to traveling along the pipi* surface and suggest that a [1,3]-sigmatropic H shift begins in this state. This rationalizes the deuterium effect on tau2. To explain why this window is followed by a process not subject to a D effect, we postulate that the pipi surface is crossed late (i.e., at low energy) by the zwitterionic state Z and that formation of a carbene (the known photochemical product, cyclopentylcarbene) begins there. The corresponding 1,2-shift of a CC bond is then (within tau4 = 350 fs) largely reversed on the ground-state surface, while a smaller part of the carbene forms products such as methylenecyclopentane within the same time. Carbene formation is probably accompanied by some cis-trans isomerization. The wavelength dependence of carbene formation is attributed to a memory for the initially excited state, based on momentum conservation. The processes are most likely typical of simple olefins. The fragmentation pattern showed that butadiene is not formed until at least 500 ps. The retro-Diels-Alder reaction, known to take place in the ground state, thus only occurs later.     

Simulation of the photodeactivation of formamide in the nO-pi* and pi-pi* states: an ab initio on-the-fly surface-hopping dynamics study

The short-time photodynamics (1 ps) of formamide in its low-lying singlet excited n(O)-pi(*) and pi-pi(*) states have been investigated by the direct trajectory surface-hopping method based on multiconfigurational ab initio calculations. The simulations showed that in both states, the primary deactivation process is C-N bond dissociation. In the ground state, the energy is transferred to (a) translational motion of the HCO and NH(2) fragments, (b) additional C-H dissociation from the vibrationally hot HCO fragment, or (c) formation of NH(3) and CO. In addition to the C-N dissociation pathway, C-O bond fission is found to be an additional primary deactivation path in the pi-pi(*) dynamics. From fractional occupations of trajectories, lifetimes of formamide were estimated: tau(S(1))=441 fs and tau(S(2))=66 fs.     

Ultrafast relaxation dynamics of perchlorinated cycloheptatriene in solution

The photochemistry of perchlorinated cycloheptatriene (CHTCl(8)) has been studied by means of ultrafast pump-probe, transient anisotropy and continuous UV-irradiation experiments in various solvents as well as by DFT calculations. After UV-excitation to the 1A' '-state, two competing reactions occur--a [1,7]-sigmatropic chlorine migration via two ultrafast internal conversions and a [4,5]-electrocyclization forming octachlorobicylo[3.2.0]hepta-[2,6]-diene. The first reaction has been studied by excitation with a 263 nm femtosecond-laser pulse. Pump-probe experiments reveal a first, solvent-independent time constant, tau1(CHTCl(8)) = 140 fs, that can be associated with the electronic relaxation of the 2A'-1A' ' transition, while a second one, tau2(CHTCl(8)), ranges from 0.9 to 1.8 ps depending on the polarity of the solvent. This finding is consistent with a [1,7]-chlorine migration during the 1A'-2A' transition where the migrating chlorine atom is partly negatively charged. The charge separation has also been confirmed by DFT calculations. Transient anisotropy measurements result in a time zero value of r(0) = 0.35 after deconvolution and a decay constant of tau1(a) = 120 fs, which can be explained by vibrational motions of CHTCl(8) in the electronically excited states, 1A' ' and 2A'. After continuous UV-irradiation of CHTCl(8), octachlorobicylo[3.2.0]hepta-[2,6]-diene is primarily formed with a solvent-dependent yield. From these investigations, we suggest a relaxation mechanism for CHTCl(8) after photoexcitation that is comparable to cycloheptatriene.     

A study of the photochemistry of Diazo Meldrum's acid by ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopies

The photochemistry of Diazo Meldrum's acid (DM) was investigated by fs time-resolved UV-vis and IR spectroscopic methods. UV (266 nm) excitation of DM pumps the molecule to the S 5 and S 7 excited states. After fast internal conversion (IC), the S 2 state is formed, which will undergo Wolff rearrangement to form vibrationally excited ketene, which relaxes in 9 ps. The S 2 state will also relax to the S 1 state, which isomerizes to diazirine, fragments to form carbene, and relaxes further to the ground state of DM. The singlet carbene absorbs at 305 nm, is formed within 300 fs of the laser pulse, and has a lifetime of 2.3 ps in acetonitrile. The lifetime of DM in the S 2 and S 1 states is less than 300 fs. The quantum efficiency of DM decomposition is approximately 50% in chloroform with 266 nm excitation.     

Ultrafast fluorescence detection in tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) complex in solution: relaxation dynamics involving higher excited states

The excited-state dynamics of a transition metal complex, tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II), [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+), has been investigated using femtosecond fluorescence upconversion spectroscopy. The relaxation dynamics in these molecules is of great importance in understanding the various ultrafast processes related to interfacial electron transfer, especially in semiconductor nanoparticles. Despite several experimental and theoretical efforts, direct observation of a Franck-Condon singlet excited state in this molecule was missing. In this study, emission from the Franck-Condon excited singlet state of [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) has been observed for the first time, and its lifetime has been estimated to be 40 +/- 15 fs. Biexponential decays with a fast rise component observed at longer wavelengths indicated the existence of more than one emitting state in the system. From a detailed data analysis, it has been proposed that, on excitation at 410 nm, crossover from higher excited (1)(MLCT) states to the vibrationally hot triplet manifold occurs with an intersystem crossing time constant of 40 +/- 15 fs. Mixing of the higher levels in the triplet state with the singlet state due to strong spin-orbit coupling is proposed. This enhances the radiative rate constant, k(r), of the vibrationally hot states within the triplet manifold, facilitating the upconversion of the emitted photons. The vibrationally excited triplet, which is emissive, undergoes vibrational cooling with a decay time in the range of 0.56-1.3 ps and relaxes to the long-lived triplet state. The results on the relaxation dynamics of the higher excited states in [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) are valuable in explaining the role of nonequilibrated higher excited sensitizer states of transition metal complexes in the electron injection and other ultrafast processes.     

Time-resolved relaxation dynamics of Hgn- (11 <or = n <or = 16,n = 18) clusters following intraband excitation at 1.5 eV

Electron-nuclear relaxation dynamics are studied in Hg(n) (-) (11 相似文献   

飞秒时间分辨的光电子影像技术研究2-氯吡啶超快内转换动力学

利用时间分辨的飞秒光电子影像技术结合时间分辨的质谱技术, 研究了2-氯吡啶分子激发态的超快过程. 实时观察到了2-氯吡啶分子第二激发态(S₂)向第一激发态(S₁)高振动能级的的超快内转换过程,该内转换的时间常数为(162±5)fs. 实验结果表明, 通过S₂/S₀的锥形交叉衰减到基态的衰减通道也是退布居的重要通道, 其时间尺度为(5.5±0.3) ps.     

Effects of alkyl substitution on the energetics of enolate anions and radicals.

The photoelectron spectra of the structural isomers of the three- and four-carbon enolate anions, n-C3H5O(-), i-C3H5O(-), n-C4H7O(-), s-C4H7O(-), and i-C4H7O(-) have been measured at 355 nm. Both the X(2A' ') ground and A(2A') first excited states of the corresponding radicals were accessed from the X(1A') ground state of the enolate anions. The separation energies of the ground and first excited states (T0) were determined: T0[(E)-n-C3H5O] = 1.19 +/- 0.02 eV, T0[(Z)-n-C3H5O] = 0.99 +/- 0.02 eV, T0[i-C3H5O] = 1.01 +/- 0.02 eV, T0[n-C4H7O] = 1.19 +/- 0.02 eV, T0[(2,3)-s-C4H7O] = 1.25 +/- 0.02 eV, T0[(1,2)-s-C4H7O] = 0.98 +/- 0.02 eV, and T0[i-C4H7O] = 1.36 +/- 0.02 eV. The effects of alkyl substitution on the vibronic structure and energetics previously observed in the vinoxy radical are discussed. The X(1A')-X(2A' ') relative stability is strongly influenced by substitution whereas the X(1A')-A(2A') relative stability remains nearly constant for all of the observed structural isomers. Alkyl substitution at the carbonyl carbon affects vibronic structure more profoundly than the energetics, while the converse is observed upon alkyl substitution at the alpha carbon.     

飞秒时间分辨的光电子谱对苯S2态的超快动力学研究

结合飞秒时间分辨的质谱技术与时间分辨的光电子影像技术对苯S₂激发态的超快动力学进行了研究.苯分子吸收两个400 nm的光子被激发到S₂态,之后再用一个267 nm的光子对其进行探测.获得的母体离子产率随泵浦探测时间延迟的变化曲线包含了两个不同的时间寿命组分.第一个时间寿命组分(90 ± 1) fs被归纳为S₂态到S₁/S₀态的内转换过程;第二个时间寿命组分(5.0 ± 0.2) ps被归纳为S₁态的衰减过程.实验中观察到的第二个寿命组分小于早前的研究结果,这表明了在S₁态的衰减过程中还可能存在其他的过程.从时间分辨的光电子影像提取得到的光电子能谱中发现了一个新的失活过程,该过程被归结为激发态S₁的振动态与“热”三重态T₃之间的系间交叉过程.