Fourier transform two-dimensional fluorescence excitation spectrometer by using tandem Fabry-Pérot interferometer.

A Fourier transform two-dimensional fluorescence excitation spectrometer (FT-2DFES) was developed based on the multiplex technique using a tandem Fabry-Pérot interferometer (tandem FPI). In addition to the advantage of the multiplex technique, the main advantage of the tandem FPI is applicable to the modulation of transition with a large absorption bandwidth (larger than 100 nm) and is thus applicable to the modulation of the excitation of molecules in the condensed phase. As a demonstration of the effectiveness of FT-2DFES, we succeeded in separately observing the fluorescence excitation peaks from a mixed methanol solution of laser dyes (coumarin 480, rhodamine 6G, DCM (4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6-(p-(dimethylamino)styryl)-4H-pyran), and LDS750). Furthermore, the energy transfer from rhodamine 6G to LDS750 was observed.

Polarity controlled reaction path and kinetics of thermal cis-to-trans isomerization of 4-aminoazobenzene.

Spectral and kinetic behavior of thermal cis-to-trans isomerization of 4-aminoazobenzene (AAB) is examined in various solvents of different polarities. In contrast to azobenzene (AB), it is found the rate of thermal isomerization of AAB is highly dependent on solvent polarity. Accelerated rates are observed in polar solvents as compared to nonpolar solvents. Moreover, a decrease in the barrier height with an increase in medium polarity is observed. Our observations suggest that inversion is the preferred pathway in cis-to-trans thermal isomerization in a nonpolar medium; however, in a polar medium, the isomerization path deviates from the inversion route and rotational behavior is incorporated. Differences in the kinetics and in mechanisms of isomerization in different media are rationalized in terms of modulation in barrier height by polarity of the medium and solute-solvent interaction. It is found that kinetics as well as the mechanism of thermal isomerization in AAB is controlled by the polarity of the medium.

Cross-term selective, two-pulse correlation measurements by phase-shifted parallel modulation for analysis of a multi-photon process.

We propose a new modulation technique for phase-sensitive detection to extract a cross-term signal appearing in multi-pulse experiments and demonstrate the selective detection of cross-term signal on two-pulse correlation measurements. This modulation technique can be widely applied to the selective detection in multi-beam laser experiments such as two-pulse correlation, auto-correlation, and double-resonance experiments, because the selectivity can be realized by using a conventional single-frequency mechanical chopper and 2f phase-sensitive detection. The effectiveness of the proposed technique was confirmed by two-pulse correlation measurements of two-photon-excited fluorescence from rhodamine 6G. In addition to the selective observation of a correlation peak, the technique succeeded in observing a weak correlation background. By combining asymmetric, two-pulse correlation measurements with the proposed technique, it was clarified that the background was produced by a three-photon process and assigned to fluorescence depletion caused by an up-conversion process. The results indicate that the cross-term selective, two-pulse correlation method that is based on the phase-shifted parallel modulation technique is powerful tool to find and analyze a high-order optical event buried in a low-order optical event.

Time-resolved sum frequency generation reveals adsorbate migration between different surface active sites on titanium oxide/Pt(111).

Thermally driven migration of formate between two types of surface active sites on titanium oxide film supported on Pt(111) is successfully resolved by picosecond sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy in combination with a laser-induced temperature jump technique. This kinetic process explains the in-phase thermal decomposition of formate adsorbed on these different surface active sites. The enthalpy difference (DeltaH) between these formate species is estimated to be ca. 3 kJ mol(-1).

Optical delay line for high time resolution measurement: W-type delay line.

We propose and demonstrate a newly designed optical delay line (W-type delay line) that improves the resolution of optical path length, namely, time resolution, by an order of more than 3 in comparison to the spatial resolution of a conventionally used translational stage. Using a conventional mechanical translational stage having a spatial resolution of 1 mum, the performance of the W-type delay line was evaluated by interferometric measurements with a diode laser, and the time resolution of 16 as was confirmed.

Real-time monitoring of monochlorinated benzene and polychlorinated biphenyls in the gas phase with on-line detection: High chemical selectivity of resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization.

The development of molecular spectroscopy has enabled us to select chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons very rapidly. In particular, the laser ionization TOFMS (time-of-flight mass spectrometry) method is expected to be useful as an on-line, selective, and sensitive method. In the present work, real-time laser ionization TOFMS measurements were carried out on gaseous chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons. The laser ionization method used resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization with the direct introduction of gas into the vacuum chamber. This method for analyzing aromatic hydrocarbons was developed using a pulsed supersonic molecular beam method. In the context of developing a highly selective and sensitive method, excitation of monochlorinated benzene at lambda = 263.07 nm was found to be effective in the wavelength region from 263 nm to 265 nm. Also the excitation of polychlorinated biphenyls at lambda = 266 nm was found to be substantially more effective than at lambda = 280, 300 or 320 nm. The achievable sensitivity for real-time (1 min) measurements using the laser ionization TOFMS technique was found to be in the ppbV range.

Time-resolved sum-frequency generation spectroscopy of methoxy and deuterated methoxy on Ni(111) using near-infrared laser pulses.

Methoxy (CH3O-) and deuterated (d-) methoxy (CD3O-) species on Ni(111) are investigated by sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy. Methoxy adsorbed on the Ni(111) surface is confirmed by SFG spectroscopy to be oriented normal to the surface. Two resonant peaks produced by methoxy, at 2921 and 2821 cm(-1), are assigned to Fermi resonance between the CH symmetric stretching and overtone modes. Deuterated methoxy exhibits a single strong peak at 2051 cm(-1) assigned to the CD symmetric stretching mode. Investigation of the sub-nanosecond transient behavior of methoxy and d-methoxy species on Ni(111) under short-pulse laser pumping at 1064 nm reveals a clear weakening and recovery of the SFG peaks upon heating. The observed temporal profile is reproduced by simulation assuming that the original methoxy in the ground state is in chemical equilibrium with a new state produced by instantaneous heating. The dependence of the SFG spectra on the initial substrate temperature is also reproduced by the simulation. The simulation suggests a temperature jump of 250 K upon laser pumping, inducing a change in the molecular orientation or adsorption site of methoxy on the Ni(111) surface without decomposition of methoxy to adsorbed CO and hydrogen, which occurs under normal heating at 200 K.

Cation-controlled assembly of Na+-linked lacunary alpha-Keggin tungstosilicates.

Two novel salts of lacunary tungstosilicates with guanidinium and alkali metal cations, (CH6N3)7Na[SiW11O39].(CH3)2CO.8H2O (1) and (CH6N3)K6Na[SiW11O39].11.5H2O (2), have been synthesized and their crystal structures have been determined by synchrotron X-ray diffraction. In both crystals, the Na+ cations link the lacunary Keggin-type tungstosilicate anions into linear structures. The neighboring [SiW11O39]8- anions are related by two-fold screw and translational operations in compounds 1 and 2, respectively. Second harmonic generation was observed for compound 1.

Rapid analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls in the gas phase with resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization: optimal injection of ions into the ion-trap storage/time-of-flight mass spectrometer.

LI-IT-TOFMS (laser ionization/ion-trap storage/time-of-flight mass spectrometry) is expected to be a powerful tool for environmental monitoring. In the research reported here, real-time LI-IT-TOFMS measurements were carried out on gaseous 2-4 chlorinated PCBs in order to evaluate the applicability of an environmental monitoring method. With respect to ion-trap storage for PCBs, we found that the effect was due to the driving RF voltage on the ring electrode in the ion trap. For PCBs ions produced by laser irradiation, we observed that it was more efficient to reach the center of the ion trap by using a gated RF voltage rather than by using a continuous RF voltage. The ion trajectories in the ion trap were simulated by SIMION 7.0. We found that the voltage of the exit end cap electrode affected both the number of ions trapped and the orbit of ions inside the trap cell. Optimization of this parameter was performed using both simulated and experimental results. The achievable PCBs sensitivity for real-time (1 min) measurement using the LI-IT-TOFMS method was found to be in the pptV range (<0.01 mg/m3N) by means of a comparison with the conventional gas sampling/GS-MS method. A satisfactory proportional relationship was confirmed between the laser-based and conventional results.

Transfer of photoenergy in pi-conjugated polymers. Two types of photoluminescence that involve energy transfer along a polymer chain.

Two types of energy transfer in pi-conjugated polymers have been investigated using time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) techniques: type i, perpendicular-type energy transfer from the 2,3-di(p-tolyl)quinoxaline unit to the pi-conjugated main chain of poly[2,3-di(p-tolyl)quinoxaline-5,8-diyl], and type ii, parallel-type energy transfer from the oligo(pyridine-2,5-diyl) (O-Py) unit to the oligo(selenophene-2,5-diyl) (O-Se) unit in a block-type copolymer of O-Py and O-Se. Both types of energy transfer were very fast with a time constant shorter than approximately 0.1 ns; in particular, the type ii energy transfer took place with a time constant of approximately 5 ps. Both pi-conjugated polymers were considered to contain segments with various effective pi-conjugation lengths, and the energy transfer to the segment with a larger effective pi-conjugation length and a smaller pi-pi* transition energy required a longer transition time. A polarizing film was obtained by utilizing the perpendicular-type energy transfer.

Direct observation of unstable intermediate species in the reaction of trans-2-butene on ferrierite zeolite by picosecond infrared laser spectroscopy.

The reaction dynamics of trans-2-butene adsorbed to acidic hydroxyl groups on the surface of ferrierite zeolite is examined by time-resolved spectroscopy using a tunable infrared picosecond pulse laser system. The transient absorption spectra measured by a two-color pump-probe technique at 188-243 K reveal bleaching and hot bands of the OD stretching mode 2 ps after excitation. This vibrationally excited state relaxes within 20 ps at 188 K, while the bleaching band includes a long-lifetime component that lasts for more than 100 ps at 243 K. Thus, the OD (isotope-exchanged hydroxy groups) stretching band does not entirely recover in this period and is mirrored by an analogous weakening of the CH bending band of the adsorbed trans-2-butene. Simultaneously, three new bands in CH stretching region were observed at 3045, 3095, and 3130 cm(-1). This result suggests the presence of a short-lived intermediate formed by reaction between the acidic hydroxyl groups and adsorbed trans-2-butene.

Time-resolved sum-frequency generation spectroscopy of cyclohexane adsorbed on Ni(111) under ultrashort NIR laser pulse irradiation.

The adsorption of cyclohexane on Ni(111) was studied by infrared-visible sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy with and without near-infrared (NIR) pump pulse irradiation. Two adsorption states of cyclohexane were found in the monolayer region, a low-coverage state showing SFG peaks at 2740, 2815, and 2865 cm(-1), and a high-coverage state showing peaks at 2740, 2815, and 2905 cm(-1). Both states coexisted on the saturated Ni(111) surface. The broad peak at 2740 cm(-1) was due to the softened CH stretching mode of the axial CH groups of cyclohexane that point toward the Ni(111) surface. The peaks at 2815 and 2865 (or 2905) cm(-1) were due to the symmetric and asymmetric stretching modes of CH(2) groups, respectively, that were free from the surface. Irradiation with NIR pulses caused a temporary jump in temperature at the Ni(111) surface and enhanced the intensity of the 2905 cm(-1) peak, but weakened the other peaks. This indicates that the temperature jump excited the cyclohexane molecules from the low-coverage state to the high-coverage state. The dynamics of the structural change observed in the adsorbed cyclohexane on NIR irradiation is discussed.