Photosynthetic complexes are exquisitely tuned to capture solar light efficiently, and then
transmit the excitation energy to reaction centres, where long term energy storage is
initiated. The energy transfer mechanism is often described by semiclassical models that …

THE timescale of the response of solvent molecules to electronic rearrangement of solute
molecules has a critical influence on the rates of chemical reactions in liquids 1–10. In
particular, if the solvent cannot adapt quickly enough to this rearrangement as the reactants …

Solvation dynamics in polar liquids have been examined using the probe molecule
coumarin 153 (Cu153) and picosecond spectroscopic techniques. Steady‐state absorption
and fluorescence spectra of Cu153 as a function of solvent show that the frequency of the …

Time-resolved optical spectroscopy is widely used to study vibrational and electronic
dynamics by monitoring transient changes in excited state populations on a femtosecond
timescale 1. Yet the fundamental cause of electronic and vibrational dynamics—the coupling …

Solar fuel production often starts with the energy from light being absorbed by an assembly
of molecules; this electronic excitation is subsequently transferred to a suitable acceptor. For
example, in photosynthesis, antenna complexes capture sunlight and direct the energy to …

The role of quantum coherence in promoting the efficiency of the initial stages of
photosynthesis is an open and intriguing question. We performed a two-color photon echo
experiment on a bacterial reaction center that enabled direct visualization of the coherence …

The observation of long-lived electronic coherence in a photosynthetic pigment–protein
complex, the Fenna–Matthews–Olson (FMO) complex, is suggestive that quantum
coherence might play a significant role in achieving the remarkable efficiency of …

We introduce a novel spectroscopic technique which utilizes a two‐pulse sequence of
femtosecond duration phase‐locked optical laser pulses to resonantly excite vibronic
transitions of a molecule. In contrast with other ultrafast pump–probe methods, in this …

Polar solvents often exert a dramatic influence on reactions in solution. Equilibrium aspects
of this influence involve differential solvation of reactants compared to the transition state
that lead to alteration of the free-energy barrier to reaction. Such effects are well known, and …

▪ Abstract Experimental and theoretical studies of polar solvation dynamics and spectral line
broadening are described. Photon echo and fluorescence Stokes shift experiments are
discussed, and the relationship between the information content of the two techniques …