Picosecond Laser Spectroscopy of Molecules in Supersonic Jets: Vibrational Energy Redistribution and Quantum Beats

Abstract

The dynamics of vibrational energy flow in large and isolated molecules following selective laser excitation is very interesting and challenging for many reasons. From a theoretical point of view, one would like to know how the coupling between bond vibrations influences the energy flow, and at what energy threshold does this flow or redistribution of energy from one mode-to-others occur. The energy region in which randomization or “chaotic behavior” dominates is important for mode-selective chemistry [1, 2].

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow and Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation Teacher-Scholar