Vibrational echo experiments on red blood cells: Comparison of the dynamics of cytoplasmic and aqueous hemoglobin

Ultrafast spectrally resolved stimulated vibrational echo experiments measure the dephasing of the CO stretching mode of hemoglobin-CO (Hb-CO) inside living human erythrocytes (red blood cells). A method is presented to overcome the adverse impact on the vibrational echo signal from the strong light scattering caused by the cells. The results are compared to experiments on Hb-CO aqueous solutions. It is demonstrated that the dynamics of the protein as sensed by the CO ligand are the same inside the erythrocytes and in aqueous solution, but differences in the absorption spectra show that the cell affects the protein's potential energy surface.     

Spin relaxation in the phosphorescent triplet state of several pyridyl carbonyl compounds

Spin relaxation is observed in benzophenone, isomers of benzoylpyridines and dipyridyl ketones. Models are used to describe optically detected echo shapes observed by transient techniques in the phosphorescent triplet state. Framed after the density matrix approach, the echo shapes were found to adequately fit the analytical expressions. Hahn spin echo, Carr-Purcell multiple echo, and rotary echo pulse sequences were used to study the nuclear contribution to the electron spin dephasing and the proximity effect of the nitrogen nuclei to the localized triplet excitation in the carbonyl portion of the molecule.     

Noble-gas broadening of an optical transition of I2 measured by coherent transients. III. Two-pulse photon echo and free induction decay

We report two-pulse photon echo decay and free induction decay measurements of iodine as a function of noble-gas pressure. The non-exponential behavior of the two-pulse photon echo decay which in contrast to the free induction decay shows a t³ dependence, is extensively discussed. A comparison with the results of the three-pulse stimulated echo measurements is made. The results are interpretated in terms of a quantum mechanical transport equation, and analytical expressions are derived for the three-pulse stimulated echo, two-pulse echo and free induction decay.     

Double quantum CRAZED NMR signal in inhomogeneous fields

It has been well accepted that the double quantum (DQ) correlated-spectroscopy revamped by asymmetric z-gradient echo detection (CRAZED) signal is enveloped in the profile function t₂ exp [−(t₂ + 2t₁)/T₂], but this function is too simple to describe the spin echo characteristics of the CRAZED free induction decay signal. In this paper the DQ CRAZED experiment is analyzed by including the homogeneous and inhomogeneous broadening effects, and a formula for the time domain DQ CRAZED signal is obtained. This formula includes the chemical shift echo and the inhomogeneous echo, both appearing at t₂ = 2t₁. Experiments have confirmed the theory.     

Two-color picosecond stimulated photon echoes in solids

We report a novel type of photon echo, the relaxed two-color stimulated echo, in the molecular mixed crystal of pentacene in naphthalene. A prerequisite to observation of this type of echo is that the inhomogeneous broadening on the selected transitions be correlated. The echo is used to study the picosecond vibrational deactivation of some excited-state vibrations of pentacene. Evidence for intermediate levels in the relaxation pathway is presented.     

Theoretical Studies of Single Molecule Spectroscopy at Room Temperature

This talk is motivated by recent room-temperature single molecule experiments, which measure the optical spectrum along single molecular trajectories and monitor the molecular dynamics and chemical kinetics of individual reactive systems. These experiments contain new information that requires theoretical models and interpretations. Several aspects of single molecule spectroscopy are analyzed:(1) Event-averaged single molecule quantities are calculated, with the prediction of the echo signal in the joint event probability distribution function^[1]. Similar to the photon echo phenomenon, the single molecule echo signal measures solvent effects on chemical kinetics. (2) The statistics of single molecule blinking events are often correlated to underlying quantum mechanisms. The distribution functions of waiting-time sequences are examined for several quantum processes, including electron transfer, solvent relaxation, laser-induced emission, and single quantum-dot blinking^[2]. (3) Single molecule measurements of heterogeneous diffusion reveal deviations from the Gaussian distribution of Brownian motion. As a quantitative measure, the non-Gaussian indicator decays asymptotically to zero according to 1/t for finite time correlation, but saturates at a plateau value for power-law correlation.     

Room-temperature kinetics of the photoexcited triplet state of acridine in fluorene crystals as obtained from electron spin echo studies

It is shown that electron spin echo results allow an analysis of the complete kinetics of excited triplet spin states at room temperature, not only with respect to all relevant kinetic parameters of the triplet decay and spin relaxation but also the spin selectivity of the triplet population and decay processes.     

Picosecond time scale optical coherence experiments in mixed molecular crystals: pentacene in naphthalene

Picosecond time scale high-power pulse optical coherence measurements including photon echo and the stimulated photon echo are obtained with a mode-locked dye laser synchronously pumped by a double Q-switched and mode-locked Nd: YAG laser. Effects on coherence arising from excitation with gaussian laser pulses rather than square pulses are examined. Preliminary echo decay measurements are reported.     

Three-pulse photon echo of an excitonic dimer modeled via Redfield theory

In this article the third-order response of an excitonically coupled dimer is studied. The three-pulse photon echo signals were calculated by extracting polarization components from the total polarization in the corresponding phase-matched directions. The total nonlinear response was obtained by numeric propagation of the density matrix, with the exciton-vibrational coupling modeled via Redfield relaxation theory. The full two-dimensional three-pulse photon echo signals and the peak shift were analyzed in terms of the density-matrix dynamics of coherence dephasing and population relaxation. The location of the two-exciton state was found to be essential for proper modeling of the three-pulse photon echo. In particular, an oscillation in the three-pulse photon echo peak shift is found if the two-exciton state is displaced. The oscillations can be related to the dynamics of the one-exciton coherences.     

Semiclassical calculation of the vibrational echo

The infrared echo measurement probes the time scales of the molecular motions that couple to a vibrational transition. Computation of the echo observable within rigorous quantum mechanics is problematic for systems with many degrees of freedom, motivating the development of semiclassical approximations to the nonlinear optical response. We present a semiclassical approximation to the echo observable, based on the Herman-Kluk propagator. This calculation requires averaging over a quantity generated by two pairs of classical trajectories and associated stability matrices, connected by a pair of phase-space jumps. Quantum, classical, and semiclassical echo calculations are compared for a thermal ensemble of noninteracting anharmonic oscillators. The semiclassical approach uses input from classical mechanics to reproduce the significant features of a complete, quantum mechanical calculation of the nonlinear response.     

Dynamics of nanoscopic water: vibrational echo and infrared pump-probe studies of reverse micelles

The dynamics of water in nanoscopic pools 1.7-4.0 nm in diameter in AOT reverse micelles were studied with ultrafast infrared spectrally resolved stimulated vibrational echo and pump-probe spectroscopies. The experiments were conducted on the OD hydroxyl stretch of low-concentration HOD in the H2O, providing a direct examination of the hydrogen-bond network dynamics. Pump-probe experiments show that the vibrational lifetime of the OD stretch mode increases as the size of the reverse micelle decreases. These experiments are also sensitive to hydrogen-bond dissociation and reformation dynamics, which are observed to change with reverse micelle size. Spectrally resolved vibrational echo data were obtained at several frequencies. The vibrational echo data are compared to data taken on bulk water and on a 6 M NaCl solution, which is used to examine the role of ionic strength on the water dynamics in reverse micelles. Two types of vibrational echo measurements are presented: the vibrational echo decays and the vibrational echo peak shifts. As the water nanopool size decreases, the vibrational echo decays become slower. Even the largest nanopool (4 nm, approximately 1000 water molecules) has dynamics that are substantially slower than bulk water. It is demonstrated that the slow dynamics in the reverse micelle water nanopools are a result of confinement rather than ionic strength. The data are fit using time-dependent diagrammatic perturbation theory to obtain the frequency-frequency correlation function (FFCF) for each reverse micelle. The results are compared to the FFCF of water and show that the largest differences are in the slowest time scale dynamics. In bulk water, the slowest time scale dynamics are caused by hydrogen-bond network equilibration, i.e., the making and breaking of hydrogen bonds. For the smallest nanopools, the longest time scale component of the water dynamics is approximately 10 times longer than the dynamics in bulk water. The vibrational echo data for the smallest reverse micelle displays a dependence on the detection wavelength, which may indicate that multiple ensembles of water molecules are being observed.     

Line shape aspects of spin echo powder ENDOR

Spin echo ENDOR and conventional cw ENDOR has been applied to a powder of the paramagnetic enzyme methanol dehydrogenase. The experiments show some complicating aspects of the line shape of spin echo powder ENDOR.     

Restricted orientational motion of nitroxides in molecular glasses: direct estimation of the motional time scale basing on the comparative study of primary and stimulated electron spin echo decays

A comparative study of anisotropic relaxation in two-pulse primary and three-pulse stimulated electron spin echo decays provides a direct way to distinguish fast (correlation time tau(c)<10(-6) s) and slow (tau(c)>10(-6) s) motions. Anisotropic relaxation is detected as a difference of the decay rates for different resonance field positions in anisotropic electron paramagnetic resonance spectra. For fast motion anisotropic relaxation influences the primary echo decay and does not influence the stimulated echo decay. For slow motion it is seen in both two-pulse echo and three-pulse stimulated echo decays. For nitroxide spin probes dissolved in glassy glycerol only fast motion was found below 200 K. Increase of temperature above 200 K results in the appearance of slow motion. Its amplitude increases rapidly with temperature increase. While in glycerol glass slow motion appears above glass transition temperature T(g), in ethanol glass it is observable below T(g). The scenario of motional dynamics in glasses is proposed which involves the broadening of the correlation time distribution with increasing temperature.     

Carbon-13 spin echo modulations in liquids caused by heteronuclear spin coupling

Carbon-13 spin echo modulations in liquids are described, which arise from cross terms between the coupling of carbon-13 spins to protons and the coupling of the protons among themselves. Single echo experiments and calculations on liquid maleic anhydride are presented.     

Pulsed field gradient NMR study of phenol binding and exchange in dispersions of hollow polyelectrolyte capsules

The distribution and exchange dynamics of phenol molecules in colloidal dispersions of submicron hollow polymeric capsules is investigated by pulsed field gradient NMR (PFG-NMR). The capsules are prepared by layer-by-layer assembly of polyelectrolyte multilayers on silica particles, followed by dissolution of the silica core. In capsule dispersion, (1)H PFG echo decays of phenol are single exponentials, implying fast exchange of phenol between a free site and a capsule-bound site. However, apparent diffusion coefficients extracted from the echo decays depend on the diffusion time, which is typically not the case for the fast exchange limit. We attribute this to a particular regime, where apparent diffusion coefficients are observed, which arise from the signal of free phenol only but are influenced by exchange with molecules bound to the capsule, which exhibit a very fast spin relaxation. Indeed, relaxation rates of phenol are strongly enhanced in the presence of capsules, indicating binding to the capsule wall rather than encapsulation in the interior. We present a quantitative analysis in terms of a combined diffusion-relaxation model, where exchange times can be determined from diffusion and spin relaxation experiments even in this particular regime, where the bound site acts as a relaxation sink. The result of the analysis yields exchange times between free phenol and phenol bound to the capsule wall, which are on the order of 30 ms and thus slower than the diffusion controlled limit. From bound and free fractions an adsorption isotherm of phenol to the capsule wall is extracted. The binding mechanism and the exchange mechanism are discussed. The introduction of the global analysis of diffusion as well as relaxation echo decays presented here is of large relevance for adsorption dynamics in colloidal systems or other systems, where the standard diffusion echo decay analysis is complicated by rapidly relaxing boundary conditions.     

Quenching and recoupling of echo modulations in NMR spectroscopy.

Trains of spin echoes are normally modulated by homonuclear scalar couplings. It has long been known that echo modulations are quenched when the pulse-repetition rates are much larger than the offsets of the coupling partners, because the spin systems behave as if they consisted of magnetically equivalent spins when the offsets are suppressed. This type of quenching of the echo modulations can occur when the radio-frequency (RF) pulses are ideal, that is, when they are perfectly homogeneous, properly calibrated to induce rotations through an angle, pi, and have an RF amplitude, omega(1)=-gammaB(1), that is strong compared to the largest offset, Omega(S)=omega(0S)-omega(RF), with respect to the carrier frequency. Recently, it was discovered that echo modulations can also be quenched when the RF pulses are nonideal, that is, when they are too weak to bring about an ideal rotation of the magnetization of the coupling partners, so that the effective fields associated with the RF pulses are tilted in the rotating frame. This phenomenon typically occurs when the pulse-repetition rates are much slower than the offset of the coupling partner. Under such conditions, it turns out, however, that for certain offsets, when the phase, Phi(S) (which arises from a free precession of the magnetization of the coupling partner, S, in the pulse interval, 2tau, and the pulse length, tau(pi)), approaches a multiple of 2pi, the echo modulations are restored. However, the frequencies of these echo modulations are not simply determined by the homonuclear scalar coupling, J(IS). The Fourier transforms of the echo trains (the so-called "J spectra") reveal surprising multiplet patterns, and the amplitudes of the echo modulations depend on the offsets of the coupling partners. Herein, we present a unified theory, based on an average-Hamiltonian approach, to describe these effects for two-spin systems. Experimental evidence of echo modulations in a system of two spins is presented. Experiments with three and more spins, backed up by extensive numerical simulations, will be presented elsewhere.     

Signal irreproducibility in high-field solution magnetic resonance experiments caused by spin turbulence

Turbulent spin dynamics arising from the joint action of radiation damping and the distant dipolar field are shown to generate irreproducible measurements in popular high-field, gradient-based magnetic resonance (MR) experiments, undermining the prevailing assumption of essentially predictable observables in MR. Sizeable fluctuations in echo amplitudes are reported and numerically simulated for pulsed gradient spin echo and stimulated echo diffusion measurements. The underlying microscopic dynamical instability is characterized by analysis of the finite-time Lyapunov exponents. Perturbations to the modulated magnetization are shown to render magic-angle gradients ineffective in suppressing signal fluctuations. Alternative approaches are suggested for cancelling out the feedback interactions leading to spin turbulence.     

Two-frequency spin echo in molecular crystals

The two-frequency pulse response of a multilevel system in NQR is investigated. Additional spin echo signals are shown to appear. The application of the two-frequency spin echo method to some of the crystals is demonstrated. The method is of great value for the investigation of local fields in crystals.     

Picosecond tri-transition and two-color photon echoes in a doped molecular solid

Picosecond tri-level photon echoes are generated among vibronic transitions of pentacene doped into a naphthalene host. The echoes are generated with three excitation pulses of which the first one, at ω₁, always excites a vibronic transition in the pentacene molecule. With the second excitation pulse at ω₂ and the third at ω₁, a tri-transition echo (TTE) is formed. With the time ordering of the second and third pulse reversed, a connected two-color stimulated echo (C2CSE) is generated. It is shown that, for small pulse angles, the low-temperature decay, of both echo effects is identical and that a smooth transition of one echo effect into the other occurs at the overlap in time between the second and third excitation pulse. Observation of these echoes further indicates that the inhomogeneous broadening at the selected transitions is strongly correlated.