Valeria D. Kleiman

Infrared Spectral Hole Burning of 1:1 Hydrogen-Bonded Complexes in Solution

Transient picosecond infrared (IR) spectra of the OH and NH-stretch (v=0–1) absorption bands of several hydrogen-bonded complexes have been investigated. Solutions of 1:1 complexes of weak acids (methanol, triethylsilanol and pyrrole, < 0.1 mol/dm3) and bases (acetonitrile, pyridine and tetrahydrofuran, < 2 mol/dm3) in CCl4 at 295 K were interrogated with IR excitation and broadband probing. Lorentzian-shaped absorption bands are uniformly bleached while those with near-Gaussian bandshapes produce transient spectral holes. These results indicate a base functionality and hydrogen-bond strength dependence for determining the broadening mechanisms of these absorptions.

Dynamics and Coherent Control of Condensed Phase Vibrational Coherences

The dynamics and control of condensed phase vibrational coherences are studied using electronically resonant transient birefringence and dichroism. The chirp direction and mode of detection yield qualitatively different responses in the birefringence and dichroism signals.