Vibrational relaxation of excited states in a series of carotenes with several polyene lengths

Masayuki Yoshizawa; Hideki Hashimoto

doi:10.1117/12.453738

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1 November 2002 Vibrational relaxation of excited states in a series of carotenes with several polyene lengths

Masayuki Yoshizawa, Hideki Hashimoto

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Proceedings Volume 4812, Nonlinear Spectroscopy; (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.453738
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2002, Seattle, WA, United States

Abstract

Initial relaxation kinetics in a series of carotenes has been investigated using femtosecond absorption and Raman spectroscopy. The internal conversion from the photoexcited 1B_u⁺ state to the 2A_g^- state is faster in the carotenes with middle polyene lengths. The vibrational relaxation of the 2A_g^- state has fast and slow components. The time constant of the slow component is longer than several picoseconds. The 2A_g^- state in the short carotenes remains in the vibrational excited levels because of the slow vibrational relaxation. These properties can be explained in terms of the 1B_u⁺ state which assists the internal conversion to the 2A_g^- state and the fast vibrational relaxation of the 2A_g^- state. The vibrational features of the excited states in carotenoids is very important in energy transfer mechanism of acterial photosynthesis.

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Masayuki Yoshizawa and Hideki Hashimoto "Vibrational relaxation of excited states in a series of carotenes with several polyene lengths", Proc. SPIE 4812, Nonlinear Spectroscopy, (1 November 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.453738

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