Archive 2017

Here you can find past events of the MPSD institute.

Room: Seminar Room III, EG.080 Host: R. J. Dwayne Miller Location: CFEL (Bldg. 99)

Shaul Mukamel - Ultrafast Multidimensional Spectroscopy of Molecules with x-ray pulses and Quantum Light in Microcavities

MPSD ARD Seminar
Multidimensional spectroscopy uses sequences of optical pulses to study dynamical processes in complex molecules through correlation plots involving several time delay periods. Extensions of these techniques to the x-ray regime will be discussed. Ultrafast nonlinear x-ray spectroscopy is made possible by newly developed free electron laser and high harmonic generation sources. The attosecond duration of X-ray pulses and the atomic selectivity of core X-ray excitations offer a uniquely high spatial and temporal resolution. Stimulated Raman detection of an X-ray probe may be used to monitor the phase and dynamics of nonequilibrium valence electronic state wavepackets created by e.g. photoexcitation, photoionization and Auger processes. Novel ultrafast X ray probes for strongly coupled electron-nuclear dynamics , techniques based on a coherent stimulated Raman process that employs a composite femtosecond/attosecond X-ray pulse to directly detect the electronic coherences (rather than populations) , and new imaging techniques based on x-ray diffraction from electronic coherence will be presented. Nonlinear optical signals induced by quantized light fields and entangled photon pairs are presented. Conventional nonlinear spectroscopy uses classical light to detect matter properties through the variation of its response with frequencies or time delays. Quantum light opens up new avenues for spectroscopy by utilizing parameters of the quantum state of light as novel control knobs and through the variation of photon statistics by coupling to matter. Entangled-photon pairs are not subjected to the classical Fourier limitations on the joint temporal and spectral resolution. Strong coupling of molecules to the vacuum field of micro cavities can modify the potential energy surfaces thereby manipulating the photophysical and photochemical reaction pathways. Crossings of electronic potential surfaces in nuclear configuration space, known as conical intersections, determine the rates and outcomes of virtually all photochemical molecular processes. Strong coupling of molecules to the quantum vacuum field of micro cavities that can be used to manipulate their photophysical and photochemical reaction pathways and polariton relaxation in photosynthetic antennae are demonstrated. [more]

Lipeng Chen - Theory meets spectroscopy: ensemble and single-molecule spectroscopic studies of ultrafast energy transfer processes in light harvesting systems

MPSD ARD Seminar
To a large extent, our knowledge of the photoinduced dynamics of molecular systems at the atomic level is shaped by nonlinear femtosecond spectroscopy. Traditionally, nonlinear femtosecond spectroscopy is an ensemble spectroscopy, performed on ensembles of identical chromophores in the gas phase or in the liquid phase. Modern femtosecond spectroscopy comprises a set of various third-order or higher-order technique including, for example, fluorescence up conversion, transient absorption, and photon echo spectroscopy. Very recently, the portfolio of femtosecond techniques has been extended towards singlemolecule detection by the development of fluorescence-detected double-pump singlemolecule spectroscopy. With this technique, a temporal resolution of about ten femtoseconds has been achieved. The technique permits the real-time monitoring of not only electronic populations, but also of electronic and vibrational coherence for individual molecules. [more]

Dr. Heloise Therien-Aubin - Engineering the interface of nanocolloids with polymers

MPSD Seminar
In the design of nanocolloids for targeted applications, whether the nanoparticles are used as drug delivery vehicles or as filler in nanocomposites, it is crucial to control the stability, the miscibility and/or the self-assembly of the nanocolloids. In order to gain such control, the surface of the nanocolloid is frequently functionalized by tethering a corona of either small molecules or polymer chains. The nature and the composition of the corona formed by the tethered molecules dictate the interactions between the nanocolloids and their environment and thus the final behavior of the material. Nanoparticles functionalized with a corona of polymer brush were used in the design of hierarchically structured materials and displayed new collective properties. By varying the degree of polymerization, the grafting density and the chemical composition of the polymer chains, a variety of structures were obtained. We now want to establish a correlation between the mesoscopic properties observed in these nanoparticle-based systems with the properties, structure and dynamic of the polymer brush layer. [more]
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