Significant advances in laser technology have led to an increasing interest in the observation and control of excited state dynamics in atoms, molecules and biomolecules. We begin by describing a simple intuitive control scheme based on an analogue of Young's double-slit experiment in a Rydberg atom. We then describe how sequences of optical pulses can be employed to control the angular momentum of Rydberg electron wave packets, and how phase-shaped optical pulses can be exploited to localise a Rydberg wave packet in time and space. Finally, we describe recent experiments unravelling the femtosecond dynamics of benzene in its first electronically excited state, and our progress in the development of a new experiment for observing the femtosecond dynamics of biological chromophores in their native protein environments.
Femtosecond Dynamics and Control: From Rydberg Molecules to Photochemistry and Photobiology
2010-01-01
17 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
Femtosecond Dynamics and Control: From Rydberg Molecules to Photochemistry and Photobiology
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