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Updated: Jan 22, 2026

A Protocol for Real-time 3D Single Particle Tracking
Published on: January 3, 2018
Real-time tracking of the intramolecular vibrational dynamics of liquid water
Gaia Giovannetti1, Sergey Ryabchuk1,2, Ammar Bin Wahid1
1Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, Hamburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Water's polarity and hydrogen-bond network give rise to its unique chemical and biochemical behaviour. Its vibrational motions, occurring on a few-femtosecond timescale, govern ultrafast energy transfer within the hydrogen-bond network. However, direct real-time observation of these motions has remained elusive due to the extreme temporal resolution required. Here, we investigate the ground-state vibrational dynamics of liquid water initiated by a sub-5 fs near-infrared (NIR) pump pulse via Impulsive Stimulated Raman Scattering (ISRS). Using few-fs ultraviolet (UV) probe pulses transmitted through a 5 µm-thick liquid jet, we monitor the coherent vibrational wave packet dominated by the OH stretch mode, exhibiting a 10 fs oscillation period and a 25 fs damping time. These results reveal the rapid dephasing of the OH stretch mode preceding its relaxation through coupling to the bending vibrations, highlighting the importance of intermolecular couplings of liquid water in the high frequency vibrational dynamics.
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