Picosecond spectroscopy laser chemistry

Robinson, G. W., Caughey, T. A., Auerbach, R. A. Picosecond emission spectroscopy with an ultraviolet sensitive streak camera. In Advances in Laser Chemistry/Springer Series in Chemical Physics. Tlewafl, A. H. (Ed.) p. 108, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York Springer 1978 Robinson, G. W. et al. J. MoL Struct 47, 221 (1978)... 

The versatility of OMCDs and, of course, advances in laser technology have been responsible for the increasing numbers of applications of picosecond spectroscopy to problems in areas of physics, chemistry, and biology. 

This narrative echoes the themes addressed in our recent review on the properties of uncommon solvent anions. We do not pretend to be comprehensive or inclusive, as the literature on electron solvation is vast and rapidly expanding. This increase is cnrrently driven by ultrafast laser spectroscopy studies of electron injection and relaxation dynamics (see Chap. 2), and by gas phase studies of anion clusters by photoelectron and IR spectroscopy. Despite the great importance of the solvated/ hydrated electron for radiation chemistry (as this species is a common reducing agent in radiolysis of liquids and solids), pulse radiolysis studies of solvated electrons are becoming less frequent perhaps due to the insufficient time resolution of the method (picoseconds) as compared to state-of-the-art laser studies (time resolution to 5 fs ). The welcome exceptions are the recent spectroscopic and kinetic studies of hydrated electrons in supercriticaF and supercooled water. As the theoretical models for high-temperature hydrated electrons and the reaction mechanisms for these species are still rmder debate, we will exclude such extreme conditions from this review. 

Picosecond Laser and Spectroscopy Laboratory of the Department of Physical Chemistry, State University, Nijenborgh 16, 9747 A G Groningen, The Netherlands... 

The intermediates in many bimolecular reactions exhibit lifetimes of less than a picosecond. Thus, it was only after the development of ultrafast laser pulses (of the order of 100 fs or so) that it has become possible to study the spectroscopy and dynamics of transitions states directly, giving rise to the so-called field of femto-chemistry. This discipline has revolutionized the study of chemical reactions in real time, and one of its most prominent exponents, Ahmed H. ZewaU, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1999 for his pioneering contributions to this field. 

Femtosecond Real-Time Spectroscopy of Small Molecules and Clusters attempts to give a detailed overview of a small part of this new and exciting field situated at the boundary between physics and chemistry. The main subject of this book is research into the ultrafast dynamics of gas-phase molecules and clusters after excitation with intense femtosecond or picosecond laser pulses. Many textbook-like examples are presented. 

---