Hannover 2013 – scientific programme

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MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik

MO 19: Poster 2: Biomolecules, Cold Molecules, Experimental Techniques, Various Topics

MO 19.20: Poster

Wednesday, March 20, 2013, 16:00–18:30, Empore Lichthof

A comprehensive study of excited state dynamics of retinal derivatives - Influence of excitation wavelengths and chemical environments — •Jan Philip Kraack, Tiago Buckup, and Marcus Motzkus — Physikalisch-Chemisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, D-69120 Heidelberg, Deutschland.

The retinal chromophore is one of the most fascinating molecules in nature due to its performance as a key-element of photoactive proteins (rhodopsins) to enable living organisms to convert light into chemical energy.(1) An important goal in femtochemistry has thus ever been to resolve the nature and importance of environmental interactions between the photo-active chromophore and its environment.(2-3) Here, we investigate the influence of different experimental parameters in time-resolved (< 30 fs), hyperspectral transient absorption experiments on a series of (chemically modified) retinal derivatives. Our results explain how the relaxation dynamics of the different chromophores are dependent on chemical modifications at the carbonyl-moiety as well as on the dielectric properties of the environment. Specifically, we address origins and spectral properties of transient absorption and emission bands and present a unified model for electronic relaxation dynamics in retinal-derivatives. (1)Birge, ARPC, 1990, 41, 683. (2)Bismuth et al., JPCB 2007, 111, 2327. (3)Kraack, et al., PCCP 2012, 14, 13979.