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Updated: May 17, 2026

Direct Imaging of Laser-driven Ultrafast Molecular Rotation
Published on: February 4, 2017
Ultrafast evolution of imidazole after electronic excitation
Raúl Montero1, Álvaro Peralta Conde, Virginia Ovejas
1Departamento de Química Física, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Apart. 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain.
Abstract:
The ultrafast dynamics of the imidazole chromophore has been tracked after electronic excitation in the 250-217 nm energy region, by time delayed ionization with 800 nm laser pulses. The time-dependent signals collected at the imidazole(+) mass channel show the signature of femtosecond dynamics, originating on the πσ*- and ππ*-type states located in the explored energy region. The fitting of the transients, which due to the appearance of nonresonant coherent adiabatic excitation requires a quantum treatment based in the Bloch equations, yields two lifetimes of 18 ± 4 and 19 ± 4 fs. The first is associated with the πσ* ← ππ* internal conversion, while the second reflects the loss of ionization cross-section as the system evolves along the dissociative πσ* surface. This study provides a comprehensive picture of the photophysics of the molecule that agrees with previous experimental and theoretical findings.
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