München 2004 – scientific programme
Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Downloads | Help
MO: Molekülphysik
MO 15: Femtosekundenspektroskopie: Photoelektronen + Isomerisierung
MO 15.6: Talk
Tuesday, March 23, 2004, 17:45–18:00, HS 315
Excited state dynamics of trans- and cis-azobenzene after UV excitation in the π π* band: Isomerization in the S1 state — •Markus Braun, Christopher Root, and Helmut Satzger — Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Lehrstuhl für BioMolekulare Optik, Oettingenstraße 67, 80538 München
In azobenzene, two benzene rings are connected via two double bonded nitrogen atoms (azo group, N=N). The molecule has two isomers, the thermally stable trans- and the metastable cis-form. They can be interchanged by optical excitation with light at suitable wavelengths with a time constant of the isomerisation reaction in the sub-ps to ps range. Transient absorption measurements on cis- and trans-azobenzene after UV excitation in the π π*-band are presented and compared to data obtained after VIS excitation in the n π*-band. The data show a two-step process, where after a fast motion on the S2 potential energy surface, the molecule relaxes to the S1-state and in both cases (trans → cis and cis → trans) the isomerization reaction takes place on the S1 potential energy surface.