Intramolecular proton transfer from the highest singlet states in 3-hydroxyflavone

It is found that the excitation spectra of the dual fluorescence of 3-hydroxyflavone are different for different recording wavelengths and that the intensity ratio of the emission of the normal and tautomeric (with intramolecular proton transfer) forms upon selective UV excitation in the regions of the S ₁, S ₂, and S ₃ singlet absorption bands strongly depends on the excitation wavelength. The results obtained directly point to the existence of an additional channel of population of the excited state of the tautomeric form and are explained by the intramolecular proton transfer through the S ₂ and S ₃ excited singlet states of fluorophore molecules. The constants of this transfer are estimated using analytical relations for the steady-state fluorescence excitation.     

Theoretical Analysis of the Fluorescence Spectra of 7-Azaindole and Its Tautomer

The electronic—vibrational fluorescence spectra of the first, S₀ → ¹L_b, and second, S₀ → ¹L_a, electronic transitions of 7-azaindole and its tautomer for an isolated state have been calculated. Specific features of structural changes in 7-azaindole and its tautomer upon electronic excitation are determined. Vibrational spectra are assigned for the ground state, and the vibrational structure of fluorescence spectra is interpreted. It is shown that the intensity redistribution between the 6a and 6b oscillations, which is observed in the fluorescence spectrum of the S₀ → ¹L_b transition in 7-azaindole, can be explained as a result of intensity borrowing (according to the Herzberg—Teller mechanism) from the ¹L_a state.     

Modeling of the structure and electronic spectra of green fluorescent protein chromophore

The structure and electronic absorption spectra of a model green fluorescent protein chromophore were studied in the neutral, cationic, and anionic forms in the isolated state. The energies of S ₀-S ₁ vertical transitions were calculated using a new method based on a modified multiconfiguration quasi-degenerate perturbation theory (aug-MCQDPT2). This method was used to obtain quantitative estimates of S ₀-S ₁ vertical transition energies for chromophores in the isolated state, 2.54, 3.12, and 3.11 eV (the experimental values were 2.59, 3.05, and 2.99 eV) for the anionic, cationic, and neutral forms, respectively.     

Studying reactions that proceed from highest excited states of molecules using fluorescence quenching

The steady-state monochromatic excitation of a luminophore that has fluorescing products is considered. The effect of dynamic quenching of highest excited states on the fluorescence of singlet states under its excitation via singlet S ₁ and S _n (n ≥ 2) states is discussed. It is shown that the use of the method of fluorescence dynamic quenching by foreign impurities opens new possibilities for studying photoreactions that proceed via S _n singlet states. A large number of primary photoprocesses are considered which include the electron density redistribution (the internal electron transfer) in the excited state, protolytic reactions, intramolecular proton transfer (phototautomerization), hydrogen bonding, and formation of excimers and exciplexes. It is shown that, upon dynamic quenching, the bimolecular quenching constant of an excited level depends on the amount of thermal energy released in the luminophore before the occurrence of the light emission event. Based on the experimental measurements of the fluorescence spectra at different quencher contents, the calculation of the Stern-Volmer constant for reaction products is considered in detail. It is shown that this constant can be most reliably determined from the dependence of the fluorescence intensity ratio of the initial reagents and the quencher product rather than from the dependence of the fluorescence intensity of the products on the concentration of the quencher. The relations determined are used in analysis of the experimental fluorescence spectra of solutions of 3-hydroxyflavone excited by radiation with different wavelengths lying in the range of the S ₁ and S ₂ absorption bands. The temperature behavior of the Stern-Volmer constant for different fluorescence bands of 3-hydroxyflavone is considered. It is shown that, if these constants for the normal and tautomeric forms are correctly determined, their temperature dependences are similar.     

A theoretical investigation of the effect of water on the structure and fluorescence spectra of L-tryptophan

Fluorescence spectra of two long-wavelength electron transitions S₀ ← ¹L_b and S₀ ← ¹L_a in uncharged and zwitterionic forms of L-tryptophan (Trp) in aqueous solution and in the complex of Trp with water molecule were calculated using the Frank–Condon approximation. Geometric parameters of Trp in electronically excited states were determined, and the vibrational structure of vibronic spectra was analyzed. It was shown that the relative position of structural fragments of alanine (R-Ala) and indole (R-In) could have a determining effect on the fluorescence and formation of the vibrational structure of electronic spectra. The increase of the rotation angle between the R-Ala and R-In, which depends on the Trp environment, results in the Trp fluorescence originating only from the singlet excited state ¹L_a.     

Manifestation of the vibronic analogue of the Fermi resonance in quasi-line spectra of porphyrins: Experiment and theoretical analysis

The quasi-line low-temperature (4.2 K) fluorescence excitation spectra of two porphyrins, meso-tetraazaporphin and meso-tetrapropylporphin introduced into an n-octane matrix are measured in the range of the S ₀ → S ₂ electronic transition. A characteristic feature of these spectra is that a conglomerate of quasi-lines—a structured complex band—is observed instead of one 0–0 quasi-line of the S ₀ → S ₂ transition. In this band, the intensity distributions for the two main types of impurity centers considerably differ from each other. The occurrence of such conglomerates is interpreted as a result of nonadiabatic electronic-vibrational interactions between vibronic S ₂ and S ₁ states (the complex vibronic analogue of the Fermi resonance). The frequencies and intensities of individual transitions determined from the deconvolution of complex conglomerates are used as the initial data for solving the inverse spectroscopic problem: the determination of the unperturbed electronic and vibrational levels of states involved in the resonance and the electronic-vibrational interaction matrix elements between them. This problem is solved with a method developed previously. The energy intervals between the S ₂ and S ₁ electronic levels of the two main types of impurity centers formed by molecules of a given porphyrin in the crystal matrix are found to significantly differ from each other (～100 cm^?1). At the same time, the energies of the unperturbed vibrational states of the S ₁ electronic level partcipating in the resonance are very close to each other for these two types of impurity centers.     

Spin-selective low temperature spectroscopy on single molecules with a triplet-triplet optical transition: Application to the NV defect center in diamond

The spin-selective photokinetics of a single matrix-isolated impurity molecule with a triplet-triplet optical transition, T ₀–T ₁, is considered and the manifestations of the photokinetics in the fluorescence excitation spectra and intensity autocorrelation functions g ⁽²⁾(τ) of the molecule undergoing narrow-band optical excitation is studied to resolve the fine structure of the transition. The rates of intersystem crossings (ISCs) T ₁→S→T ₀ to and from a nonradiating singlet state S of the molecule and the rate of population relaxation among the ground (T ₀) state sublevels can be obtained from the spectra and g ⁽²⁾(τ) using the analytical expressions obtained. New experiments on an individual NV defect center in nanocrystals of diamond, where, for the first time, the fine structure of its triplet-triplet ³ A-³ E zero-phonon optical transition (~637 nm) at 1.4 K was resolved, are interpreted. It is concluded that the rate of the ISC transition from the m _S =0 sublevel of the excited ³ E state to the singlet ¹ A state (~1 kHz) is much slower than the rates from the m _S =±1 substates, while the rates of ISC transitions to different m _S substates of the ground ³ A state are close to each other (~1 Hz). As a result, only the optical transition between m _S =0 sublevels in the ³ A-³ E manifold contributes strongly to the fluorescence. The experimentally observed double-exponential decay of the g ⁽²⁾(τ) function is explained by the two pathways available to the center for it to leave the S state: (i) the S→ T ₀(m _S )=0) transition and (ii) the S→T ⁰(m _S =±1) transitions followed by the slow spin-lattice relaxation T ₀(m _S =±1)→T ₀(m _S =0) (rate ~0.1 Hz). The work is important for studies where the NV center is used as a single photon source or for quantum information processing.     

Direct observation of proton transfer from the excited <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript> state in the 3-hydroxyflavone molecule

The spectra of dual fluorescence of 3-hydroxyflavone molecules excited by 44-ps pulses in the region of the S ₁ and S ₂ absorption bands are measured with a picosecond resolution. The dynamics of the spectra directly demonstrates the time development of the proton transfer from the carboxyl to the carbonyl group of the molecule. Upon excitation into the main absorption band, the transfer process occurs for about 210 ps. The excitation into the region of the S ₂ band results in a faster (～170 ps) process, and the relative contribution made to the total spectrum by the long-wavelength band, which belongs to the proton-transfer state, is higher in this case for all the time ranges of luminescence recording. The data obtained directly point to an additional channel of proton transfer via the S ₂ state. The probability of this process is estimated to be 0.84 × 10¹² s^?1.     

Retardation of the relaxation over quantum-well energy levels in CdSe/ZnS quantum dots with increasing number of excited carriers

The differential transmission spectra of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots are investigated. It is revealed that the differential transmission spectra measured upon resonant excitation of electrons into the first excited state 1P(e) exhibit a number of specific features, such as a decrease in transmission at the pump frequency, bleaching in the course of the pump pulse at frequencies corresponding to the fundamental optical transition 1S _3/2(h)-1S(e) and transitions between excited hole states and the 1S(e) electron ground state, and retardation of this process with an increase in the energy of the pump pulse. The observed specific features can be explained by the following factors: (i) the absence of a “phonon bottleneck” for electrons due to the energy transfer from hot electrons to rapidly relaxing holes, (ii) relaxation through intermediate quantum-well energy levels of holes, and (iii) retardation of relaxation with increasing number of excited charge carriers in a quantum dot.     

Fluorescence and picosecond induced absorption from the lowest singlet excited states of quercetin in solutions and polymer films

The spectroscopic and photophysical properties of the biologically important plant antioxidant quercetin in organic solvents, polymer films of polyvinyl alcohol, and a buffer solution at pH 7.0 are studied by stationary luminescence and femtosecond laser spectroscopy at room temperature and 77 K. The large magnitude of the dipole moment of the quercetin molecule in the excited Franck–Condon state μ _e ^FC = 52.8 C m indicates the dipolar nature of quercetin in this excited state. The transient induced absorption spectra S ₁→S _n in all solvents are characterized by a short-wave band at λ _abs ^max = 460 nm with exponential decay times in the range of 10.0–20.0 ps. In the entire spectral range at times of >100 ps, no residual induced absorption was observed that could be attributed to the triplet–triplet transitions Т ₁ → Т _k in quercetin. In polar solvents, two-band fluorescence was also recorded at room temperature, which is due to the luminescence of the initial enol form of quercetin (~415 nm) and its keto form with a transferred proton (550 nm). The short-wave band is absent in nonpolar 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF). The spectra of fluorescence and fluorescence excitation exhibit a low dependence on the wavelength of excitation and detection, which may be related to the solvation and conformational changes in the quercetin molecule. Decreasing the temperature of a glassy-like freezing quercetin solution in ethanol and 2-MTHF to 77 K leads to a strong increase in the intensity (by a factor of ~100) of both bands. The energy circuits for the proton transfer process are proposed depending on the polarity of the medium. The main channel for the exchange of electronic excitation energy in the quercetin molecule at room temperature is the internal conversion S ₁ ? S ₀, induced by the state with a proton transfer.     

Spectroscopy of resonant excitation of exciton luminescence of GaSe–GaTe solid solutions

The luminescence excitation spectra of localized excitons in GaSe_0.85Te_0.15 solid solutions have been investigated at the temperature T = 2 K. It has been shown that the excitation spectra of excitons with the localization energy ε > 10 mV exhibit an additional maximum M _E located on the low-energy side of the maximum corresponding to the free exciton absorption band with n = 1. It has been found that the shift in the position of the maximum M _E in the excitation spectrum with respect to the energy of detected photons increases as the energy of detected photons decreases, i.e., with an increase in the localization energy of excitons. Under the resonant excitation of localized excitons by a monochromatic light from the region of the exciton emission band, in the exciton luminescence spectrum on the low-energy side from the excitation line, there is also a maximum of the luminescence (M _L ). The energy distance between the position of the excitation line and the position of the maximum in the luminescence spectrum increases with a decrease in the frequency of the excitation light. The possible mechanisms of the formation of the described structure of the luminescence excitation and exciton luminescence spectra of GaSe_0.85Te_0.15 have been considered. It has been concluded that the maximum M _E in the excitation spectrum and the maximum M _L in the luminescence spectrum are attributed to electronic–vibrational transitions with the creation and annihilation of localized excitons, respectively.     

Specific features of the two-photon absorption of cationic symmetric polymethine dyes

The two-photon absorption of a number of cationic symmetric polymethine dyes based on 3H-indolium and benzothiazolium is experimentally studied upon excitation by nanosecond radiation from a Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, 12 ns). The two-photon absorption cross section of dye molecules is determined by the two-quantum standard method. The influence of the spectral-luminescent properties and structure of the polymethine dyes on the two-photon absorption cross section is discussed. It is shown that, upon excitation in the range of the long-wavelength band of the dyes studied (the S ₀ → S ₁ transition), the maximum of their two-photon absorption is blue shifted. The reasons for a considerable increase in the two-photon absorption of symmetric polymethine dyes upon their excitation in the range of the S ₂ state are discussed. Using the data of quantum-chemical calculations, it is shown that, along with changes in the selection rules for two-photon transitions, this increase is connected with an increase in the size of the delocalized π electron cloud of HOMOs involved in the S ₀ → S ₂ transition.     

Electronic structure and fluorescent properties of malononitrile-based merocyanines with positive and negative solvatochromism

The behavior of the positions and shapes of the fluorescence bands of di-, tetra-, and hexamethine merocyanine dyes with 3H-indolyliden (dyes 1–3) and benzoimidazolyliden (dyes 4–6) as electron-donating substituents and malononitrile as an electron-accepting substituent is studied by the method of moments in solvents of different polarity. The solvatofluorochromic shifts have been found to be smaller than the solvatochromic shifts not only for negatively solvatochromic merocyanines 4–6, but also for dyes 1–3 whose solvatochromism is positive. For dyes 4–6, cases of a change of the sign of solvatofluorochromism with respect to the sign of solvatochromism are revealed. These nontrivial effects are accounted for by transitions between the polyene and polymethine electronic structures of merocyanines in the fluorescence state S ₁ that occur with increasing medium polarity. In contrast to the absorption spectra of merocyanines 1–3, an increase in the chain length results in an increase in the vinylene shifts in the fluorescence spectra of these dyes, as well as in a decrease in the deviations and in the narrowing of the bands. This is explained by the fact that the electronic structure of these merocyanines in the S ₁ state is closer to that of the ideal polymethine (the cyanine limit) than in the S ₀ state. The fluorescence bands of merocyanines 4–6 are observed to be broader compared to the absorption bands. This broadening is caused by a change in the relation between intermolecular and vibronic interactions during absorption and emission of light. The interactions of these types have a decisive effect on the behavior of the Stokes shifts and fluorescence quantum yields of merocyanines 1–6.     

Excitonic representation: Collective excitation spectra in the quantized Hall regime and spin biexciton

The excitonic representation method for describing collective excitations in the quantized Hall regime makes it possible to simplify analysis of the spectra and to obtain new results in the strong magnetic field limit, when E _C ??ω_c (ω_c is the cyclotron frequency and E_C is the characteristic Coulomb energy). For an integer odd filling factor ν greater than unity (i.e., for ν = 3, 5, 7,...), the spectra of one-cyclotron magneto-plasma excitations are calculated. For unit filling factor, the existence of a spin biexciton (bound state of two spin waves) corresponding to excitation with a spin change (δ_S = δ_Sz = ?2) is proved. The exact equation determining the ground state of the biexciton is derived in the thermodynamic limit N_Φ → ∞ (_N? is the system degeneracy). The exchange energy of this state is lower than for a single spin wave (with δ_S = δ_Sz = ?1) for the same value of the 2D wavevector q. In the limit q → ∞ corresponding to the decay of a biexciton into a pair of quasiparticles one of which is a trion with a spin of ?3/2, the energy is found to be lower than the energy (e²/εl _B )√π/2 required for exciting an electron-hole pair in the strictly 2D case (l_B is the magnetic length and ε is the dielectric constant), although this energy is higher than another “classical” result (e²/εl _B )√π/2, corresponding to the excitation of a skyrmion-antiskyrmion pair (|δS|=|δS _z |?1). The solution of the exact equation gives the trion binding energy and the activation gap for quasiparticles whose excitation corresponds to a change in the total spin by δS = δ S_z =?3. The energy of a spin biexciton is calculated for values of the wavevector such that ql _B ?1.     

Specific features in the vibronic fluorescence spectra of analogues of 1,4-bis(5-phenyl-2-oxazolyl)benzene with oxadiazole and furan rings

The fine-structure fluorescence and fluorescence excitation spectra of conjugated chain compounds, namely, 2,5-bis(5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)furan (PDFDP) and 2,5-bis[5-(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]furan (XDFDX), were obtained by the Shpolskii method in an n-octane matrix at a temperature of 4.2 K. These spectra were simulated by representing the band of each of the vibronic transitions as the sum of a zero-phonon line and a phonon wing with the corresponding parameters, such as the half-widths of the spectral lines and the Debye-Waller factors. The results obtained made it possible to estimate the relative intensities of the vibronic transitions between the S ₀ and S*₁ states. The anharmonicity revealed in the conjugate spectra of fluorescence and fluorescence excitation of the PDFDP and XDFDX compounds was explained in terms of the interference of the Franck-Condon and Herzberg-Teller interactions occurring in the molecules under investigation. The influence of the substitution of the furan heterocycle (F) for the central benzene ring (P) in 1,4-bis-(5-phenyl-2-oxadiazolyl)benzene (PDPDP) on the parameters of the intramolecular interactions responsible for the formation of the vibronic spectra was considered.     

Precision measurements of optical excitation functions for the mercury atom

We describe a computer-based facility for studying the excitation of atoms by ultramonochromatic electrons and give optical excitation functions for the 12 mercury spectral lines that originate from the n ¹ S ₀, n ¹ P ₁, n ¹ D ₂, n ³ S ₁, n ³ P _j , and n ³ D _j levels. We detected about 100 features in the energy dependences measured from the excitation threshold to 15.5 eV. The previously found positions of the features on the energy scale are in good agreement with our results. Most of the resonant features are shown to be mainly attributable to the decay of short-lived states of the negative mercury ion. We detected a postcollision interaction effect in the optical excitation functions of the lines that originate from the n ¹ S ₀ levels at energies of about 11 eV.     

Charge-transfer bands in crystals of alkaline earth fluorides with Eu<Superscript>3+</Superscript> and Yb<Superscript>3 + 1</Superscript>

The absorption, luminescence, and excitation spectra of CaF₂, SrF₂, and BaF₂ crystals with EuF₃ or YbF₃ impurity have been investigated in the range 1–12 eV. In all cases, strong wide absorption bands (denoted as CT₁) were observed at energies below the 4f ⁿ -4f ^{n ? 1}5d absorption threshold of impurity ions. Weaker absorption bands (denoted as CT₂) with energies 1.5–2 eV lower than those of the CT₁ bands have been found in the spectra of CaF₂ and SrF₂ crystals with EuF₃ or YbF₃ impurities. The fine structure of the luminescence spectra of CaF₂ crystals with EuF₃ impurities has been investigated under excitation in the CT bands. Under excitation in the CT₁ band, several Eu centers were observed in the following luminescence spectra: C _4v , O _h , and R aggregates. Excitation in the CT₂ bands revealed luminescence of only C _4v defects.     

String order and degenerate entanglement spectrum of S = 1 / 2 and S = 1 Heisenberg bond-alternating chains

Generalized string orders and entanglement spectrum of S = 1/2 and S = 1 Heisenberg bond-alternating chains have been investigated by the infinite time-evolving block decimation (iTEBD) method. Generalized string order parameters with appropriate θ are capable of distinguishing all the topological phases. Central charges c ? 1 and critical exponents β ?1/12 indicate all the topological QPTs belong to the Gaussian universality class. Interestingly, odd- and even-fold degeneracies of the entanglement spectrum are observed. Even-fold (doubly) degenerate entanglement spectra and the typical two-fold degenerate lowest-lying level are found to exist in both the spin-1/2 dimer and the S = 1 Haldane phases. However, odd-fold degenerate entanglement spectra with three-fold degenerate lowest-lying level are observed in both the S = 1 dimer and the S = 2 Haldane phase. The degeneracy of the lowest-lying entanglement spectrum level, which can be understood by entanglement spectra in the dimer limit (J ₁ = 0), is adopted to estimate the lowest boundary of the bipartite entanglement. The entanglement spectrum and the generalized string orders are valuable for uncovering the underlying features of these symmetry-protect topological (SPT) states. Similar entanglement spectrum shows that the S = 1 (S = 2) Haldane phase is essentially the same as the S = 1/2 (S = 1) dimer phase.     

Electronic structure and intramolecular photophysical processes of cations of symmetric indopolycarbocyanine dyes

The electronic structure, spectra, and rate constants of radiative and nonradiative processes of cations of the vinylogous series of symmetric indopolycarbocyanine dyes are calculated by the semiempirical method of partial neglect of differential overlap. The S ₀ → S _n absorption spectra are interpreted. The dependences of the efficiency of the deactivation of the fluorescent state on the length of the polymethine chain of cations are analyzed. The quantum yields of the fluorescence from the first and second singlet states are calculated. The calculation results agree satisfactorily with experimental data.     

Spectroscopy of charge transfer states in Mg<Subscript>1 – <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis> </Subscript>Ni<Subscript> <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis> </Subscript>O

Photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectra of solid solution Mg_1–xNi_xO (x = 0.008) have been analyzed. The contributions of charge transfer electronic states and nonradiative Auger relaxation to the formation of the photoluminescence spectrum are discussed.