Probing environment fluctuations by two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy of molecular systems at temperatures below 5 K

Extracting the excitonic Hamiltonian of a chlorophyll dimer from broadband two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy

We apply Frenkel exciton theory to model the entire Q-band of a tightly bound chlorophyll dimer inspired by the photosynthetic reaction center of photosystem II. The potential of broadband two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy experiment spanning the Q_x and Q_y regions to extract the parameters of the model dimer Hamiltonian is examined through theoretical simulations of the experiment. We find that the local nature of Q_x excitation enables identification of molecular properties of the delocalized Q_y excitons. Specifically, we demonstrate that the cross-peak region, where excitation energy is resonant with Q_y while detection is at Q_x, contains specific spectral signatures that can reveal the full real-space molecular Hamiltonian, a task that is impossible by considering the Q_y transitions alone. System-bath coupling and site energy disorder in realistic systems may limit the resolution of these spectral signatures due to spectral congestion.

Spectral Diffusion of Excitons in 3,4,9,10-Perylenetetracarboxylic-diimide (PTCDI) Thin Films

In this work, we study spectral diffusion of molecular excitons in thin films of 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic-diimide by using two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES). Temperature dependence of the spectral diffusion is studied from 105 to 471 K by analyzing the center line slope (CLS) of the ground-state bleach in the 2DES signal. A significant acceleration of the decay of the CLS with increasing the temperature is observed, which cannot be explained by a linear system-bath coupling model with a harmonic bath. We propose an anharmonic coupling model as the underlying mechanism, in which the exciton energy gap fluctuations by a high-frequency intramolecular vibration are enhanced by coupling with a low-frequency phonon mode.

Characterization of the ultrafast spectral diffusion and vibronic coherence of TIPS-pentacene using 2D electronic spectroscopy

TIPS-pentacene is a small-molecule organic semiconductor that is widely used in optoelectronic devices. It has been studied intensely owing to its ability to undergo singlet fission. In this study, we aim to develop further understanding of the coupling between the electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom of TIPS-pentacene (TIPS-Pn). We measured and analyzed the 2D electronic spectra of TIPS-Pn in solutions. Using center line slope (CLS) analysis, we characterized the frequency-fluctuation correlation function of the 0-0 vibronic transition. Strong oscillations in the CLS values were observed for up to 5 ps with a frequency of 264 cm^-1, which are attributable to a large vibronic coupling with the TIPS-Pn ring-breathing vibrational mode. In addition, detailed analysis of the CLS values allowed us to retrieve two spectral diffusion lifetimes, which are attributed to the inertial and diffusive dynamics of solvent molecules. Amplitude beating analysis also uncovered couplings with another vibrational mode at 1173 cm^-1. The experimental results can be described using the displaced harmonic oscillator model. By comparing the CLS values of the simulated data with the experimental CLS values, we estimated a Huang-Rhys factor of 0.1 for the ring-breathing vibrational mode. The results demonstrated how CLS analysis can be a useful method for characterizing the strength of vibronic coupling.

Role of Spatially Correlated Fluctuations in Photosynthetic Excitation Energy Transfer with an Equilibrium and a Nonequilibrium Initial Bath

The transfer of excitation energy in photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes has inspired growing interest for its scientific and engineering significance. Recent experimental findings have suggested that spatially correlated environmental fluctuations may account for the existence of long-lived quantum coherent energy transfer observed even at physiological temperature. In this paper, we investigate the effects of spatial correlations on the excitation energy transfer dynamics by including a nonequilibrium initial bath in a simulated donor-acceptor model. The initial bath state, which is assumed to be either equilibrium or nonequilibrium, is expanded in powers of coupling strength within the polaron formalism of a quantum master equation. The spatial correlations of bath fluctuations strongly influence the decay of coherence in the dynamics. The role of a nonequilibrium initial bath is also influenced by spatial correlations and becomes the most conspicuous for certain degrees of spatial correlations from which we propose a picture that the spatial correlations of bath fluctuations open up new energy transfer pathways, playing a role of protecting coherence. Besides, we apply the polaron master equation approach to study the dynamics in a two-site subsystem of the FMO complex and provide a practical example that shows the versatility of this approach.

Anomalous Temperature Dependence of Exciton Spectral Diffusion in Tetracene Thin Film

In this work, an ultrafast spectral diffusion of the lowest exciton in a tetracene ultrathin film is studied by two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy. From the analysis of the nodal line slope, the frequency-fluctuation correlation function (FFCF) of the exciton band is extracted. The FFCF contains two components with decay times of 400 and 80 fs; while the former can be understood by a linear exciton-phonon coupling model, the latter shows an order of magnitude increase in its amplitude from 96 to 186 K that cannot be explained by the same model. A novel scheme of the energy-gap fluctuations is examined, in which an intramolecular high-frequency mode causes the spectral diffusion that is enhanced through an anharmonic coupling to low-frequency phonon modes. This finding provides a valuable input for future theoretical predictions on the ultrafast nonadiabatic dynamics of the molecular exciton.

Coherently and fluorescence-detected two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy: direct comparison on squaraine dimers

Optical two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES) is now widely utilized to study excitonic structure and dynamics of a broad range of systems, from molecules to solid state. Besides the traditional experimental implementation using phase matching and coherent signal field detection, action-based approaches that detect incoherent signals such as fluorescence have been gaining popularity in recent years. While incoherent detection extends the range of applicability of 2DES, the observed spectra are not equivalent to the coherently detected ones. This raises questions about their interpretation and the sensitivity of the technique. Here we directly compare, both experimentally and theoretically, four-wave mixing coherently and fluorescence-detected 2DES of a series of squaraine dimers of increasing electronic coupling. All experiments are qualitatively well reproduced by a Frenkel exciton model with secular Redfield theory description of excitation dynamics. We contrast the spectral features and the sensitivities of both techniques with respect to exciton energies, delocalization, coherent and dissipative dynamics, and exciton-exciton annihilation. Discussing the fundamental and practical differences, we demonstrate the degree of complementarity of the techniques.

Two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy of anharmonic molecular potentials

Two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES) is a powerful tool in the study of coupled electron-phonon dynamics, yet very little is known about how nonlinearities in the electron-phonon coupling, arising from anharmonicities in the nuclear potentials, affect the spectra. These become especially relevant when the coupling is strong. From the linear spectroscopies, anharmonicities are known to give structure to the zero-phonon line and to break mirror-symmetry between absorption and emission, but the 2D analogues of these effects have not been identified. Using a simple two-level model where the electronic states are described by (displaced) harmonic oscillators with differing curvatures or displaced Morse oscillators, we find that the zero-phonon line shape is essentially transferred to the diagonal in 2DES spectra, and that anharmonicities break a horizontal mirror-symmetry in the infinite waiting time limit. We also identify anharmonic effects that are only present in 2DES spectra: twisting of cross-peaks stemming from stimulated emission signals; and oscillation period mismatch between ground state bleach and stimulated emission (for harmonic oscillators with differing curvatures), or inherently chaotic oscillations (for Morse oscillators). Our findings will facilitate an improved understanding of 2DES spectra and aid the interpretation of signals that are more realistic than those arising from simple models.

Challenges facing an understanding of the nature of low-energy excited states in photosynthesis

While the majority of the photochemical states and pathways related to the biological capture of solar energy are now well understood and provide paradigms for artificial device design, additional low-energy states have been discovered in many systems with obscure origins and significance. However, as low-energy states are naively expected to be critical to function, these observations pose important challenges. A review of known properties of low energy states covering eight photochemical systems, and options for their interpretation, are presented. A concerted experimental and theoretical research strategy is suggested and outlined, this being aimed at providing a fully comprehensive understanding.

Polaronic effects at finite temperatures in the B850 ring of the LH2 complex

Energy transfer and relaxation dynamics in the B850 ring of LH2 molecular aggregates are described, taking into account the polaronic effects, by a stochastic time-dependent variational approach.