The photodynamics of polyatomic molecules generally involves complex intramolecular processes that rapidly redistribute both charge and vibrational energy within the molecule. The coupling of vibrational and electronic degrees of freedom leads to the processes known as radiationless transitions, internal conversion, isomerization, proton and electron transfer, and so on. These nonadiabatic dynamics underlie the photochemistry of almost all polyatomic molecules and are important in photobiological processes, such as vision and photosynthesis and underlie many concepts in active molecular electronics.

In this talk I will focus on the development of time-resolved methods for the experimental study of nonadiabatic molecular dynamics, emphasising the aspects of creating and detecting wave packets and the special role of the final state that acts as a ‘‘template’’ onto which the dynamics are projected.

I will then discuss aspects of the dynamical problem of interest here, namely, the nonadiabatic excited-state dynamics of isolated polyatomic molecules.


Seminar, July 3, 2015, 15:00. Seminar Room

Hosted by Prof. Jens Biegert