Feature
Terahertz-frequency quantum beats in organic molecules
Recent femtosecond measurements of the relaxation of several organic dye molecules have revealed one or more damped sinusoidal components superimposed on an exponential background. A typical experimental trace is shown in the figure for ethyl violet dissolved in ethylene glycol. The decay is dominated by a sinusoid with a period of 150 fs. Several other triphenyl methane dyes have been studied, and all of them produce an oscillating component with approximately the same period. The measured relaxation of the saturable absorber dye DODCI also exhibits a sinusoidal term with a 150-fs period, as well as several other oscillating terms.
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