The main theme covered in this thesis is experimentalstudies of quantum dynamics and coherent control in homonuclearalkali diatomic molecules by ultrafast laser spectroscopy iththe implementation of pump-probe techniques. A series of experiments have been performed on the Rb2molecules in a molecular beam as well as in a thermal oven. Thereal-time molecular quantum dynamics of the predissociatingelectronically excited D(3)1Πu state of Rb2, which couples to/intersects several otherneighbouring states, is investigated using wavepackets. Thepredissociation of the D state, explored by this wavepacketmethod, arises from two independent states, the (4)3Σu+and (1)3∆u, for which the second corresponds to a much fasterdecay channel above a sharp energy threshold around 430 nm. Thelifetime of the D state above the energy threshold is obtained,τ ≈ 5 ps, by measuring the decay time of thewavepacket in a thermal oven. Further experimentalinvestigation performed in a molecular beam together withquantum calculations of wavepacket dynamics on the D state haveexplored new probe channels of wavepacket evolution: theD′(3)1Σu+ channel, which exhibits vibrational motionin a shelf state and the (4)3Σu+ channel, where direct build-up of thewavefunction is observed due to its spin-orbit oupling to the Dstate. The real-time quantum dynamics of wavepackets confined totwo bound states, A1Σu+(0u+) and b3Πu(0u+), have been studied by experiment andcalculations. It is shown that these two states are fullycoupled by spin-orbit interaction, characterised by itsintermediate strength. The intermediate character of thedynamics is established by complicated wavepacket oscillationatterns and a value of 75 cm-1is estimated for the coupling strength at thestate crossing. The experiments on the Li2molecule are performed by coherent control ofrovibrational molecular wavepackets. First, the Deutsch-Jozsaalgorithm is experimentally demonstrated for three-qubitfunctions using a pure coherent superposition of Li2rovibrational eigenstates. The function’scharacter, either constant or balanced, is evaluated by firstimprinting the function, using a phase-tailored femtosecond(fs) pulse, on a coherent superposition of the molecularstates, and then projecting the superposition onto an ionicfinal state using a second fs pulse at a specific delay time.Furthermore, an amplitude-tailored fs pulse is used to exciteselected rovibrational eigenstates and collision induceddephasing of the wavepacket signal, due to Li2-Ar collisions, is studied experimentally. Theintensities of quantum beats decaying with the delay time aremeasured under various pressures and the collisional crosssections are calculated for each well-defined rovibrationalquantum beat, which set the upper limitsfor ure dephasingcross sections. <b>Keywords:</b>Ultrafast laser spectroscopy, pump-probetechnique, predissociation, wavepacket, pin-orbit interaction,coherent control, (pure) dephasing

<p>The main theme covered in this thesis is experimentalstudies of quantum dynamics and coherent control in homonuclearalkali diatomic molecules by ultrafast laser spectroscopy iththe implementation of pump-probe techniques.</p><p>A series of experiments have been performed on the Rb2molecules in a molecular beam as well as in a thermal oven. Thereal-time molecular quantum dynamics of the predissociatingelectronically excited D(3)¹Πu state of Rb₂, which couples to/intersects several otherneighbouring states, is investigated using wavepackets. Thepredissociation of the D state, explored by this wavepacketmethod, arises from two independent states, the (4)³Σ_u⁺and (1)³∆_u, for which the second corresponds to a much fasterdecay channel above a sharp energy threshold around 430 nm. Thelifetime of the D state above the energy threshold is obtained,τ ≈ 5 ps, by measuring the decay time of thewavepacket in a thermal oven. Further experimentalinvestigation performed in a molecular beam together withquantum calculations of wavepacket dynamics on the D state haveexplored new probe channels of wavepacket evolution: theD′(3)1Σu+ channel, which exhibits vibrational motionin a shelf state and the (4)³Σu+ channel, where direct build-up of thewavefunction is observed due to its spin-orbit oupling to the Dstate.</p><p>The real-time quantum dynamics of wavepackets confined totwo bound states, A¹Σ_u⁺(0_u⁺) and b³Π_u(0_u⁺), have been studied by experiment andcalculations. It is shown that these two states are fullycoupled by spin-orbit interaction, characterised by itsintermediate strength. The intermediate character of thedynamics is established by complicated wavepacket oscillationatterns and a value of 75 cm^-1is estimated for the coupling strength at thestate crossing.</p><p>The experiments on the Li₂molecule are performed by coherent control ofrovibrational molecular wavepackets. First, the Deutsch-Jozsaalgorithm is experimentally demonstrated for three-qubitfunctions using a pure coherent superposition of Li₂rovibrational eigenstates. The function’scharacter, either constant or balanced, is evaluated by firstimprinting the function, using a phase-tailored femtosecond(fs) pulse, on a coherent superposition of the molecularstates, and then projecting the superposition onto an ionicfinal state using a second fs pulse at a specific delay time.Furthermore, an amplitude-tailored fs pulse is used to exciteselected rovibrational eigenstates and collision induceddephasing of the wavepacket signal, due to Li₂-Ar collisions, is studied experimentally. Theintensities of quantum beats decaying with the delay time aremeasured under various pressures and the collisional crosssections are calculated for each well-defined rovibrationalquantum beat, which set the upper limitsfor ure dephasingcross sections.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>Ultrafast laser spectroscopy, pump-probetechnique, predissociation, wavepacket, pin-orbit interaction,coherent control, (pure) dephasing</p>

No description available.

A indústria optoeletrônica passa por um período de transformação em que os materiais inorgânicos estão sendo substituídos pelos orgânicos, oligômeros e polímeros, na fabricação de alguns tipos de dispositivos. No entanto, fatores como baixa eficiência e tempo de vida impedem que os aparelhos com base nos polímeros entrem definitivamente no mercado. Para resolver estas questões, é necessário um conhecimento profundo da estrutura eletrônica desses materiais. Apesar do avanço científico, ainda existem pontos a esclarecer. Por exemplo, não existe um consenso sobre a natureza das excitações óticas primárias e dos processos não radiativos nos polímeros conjugados, principalmente com excitação no ultravioleta. Tais processos limitam a eficiência e podem influenciar nos processos fotoquímicos, determinando o tempo de vida de um dispositivo. Esses fenômenos ocorrem em alguns picossegundos e, portanto, a espectroscopia ultrarrápida é a técnica mais adequada para o seu estudo. Neste trabalho, foi implementado o aparato para espectroscopia de bombeio e prova em filmes finos de polímeros conjugados, no qual podem ser usados dois métodos de aquisição de dados, sensível à fase e pulso-a-pulso. O primeiro é o método padrão citado na literatura, no qual o feixe de excitação é modulado por um chopper e os sinais são medidos por amplificadores lock-in. No segundo, o condicionamento de sinais é feito por circuitos amplificadores e o processamento dos sinais é feito pulso-a-pulso. É um método que a princípio fornece melhor estatística, pois as flutuações do laser são normalizadas pulso-a-pulso, e não na média. Além disso, apresenta menor custo e torna o experimento de bombeio e prova mais simples, pois os únicos procedimentos críticos passam a ser a sobreposição dos feixes na amostra e a determinação do atraso zero entre bombeio e prova. Foi projetado e construído o circuito eletrônico de condicionamento de sinais e o software de aquisição foi desenvolvido em linguagem LabVIEW. Entretanto, o método pulso-a-pulso forneceu uma sensibilidade inadequada para o estudo de filmes poliméricos, (&Delta;T&frasl;T ~ 0,7%, limitada pelo ruído elétrico na amplificação dos pulsos detectados), em contraste com &Delta;T/T ~ 0,1% que foi alcançada pelo método sensível à fase. Desta maneira, foi usado o último método para o estudo da evolução do espectro e da dinâmica de emissão estimulada de um filme de MEH-PPV, com excitação no visível e no ultravioleta, permitindo o estudo da dinâmica de relaxação dos estados de mais alta energia. Os resultados no visível são compatíveis com os da literatura, o que demonstra a confiabilidade do aparato quanto à sensibilidade e resolução temporal e espectral. Os resultados com excitação no UV indicam que a transferência de energia de bandas mais energéticas para a banda &pi; - &pi;&lowast; (conversão interna) ocorre em aproximadamente 300 fs, confirmando as suposições da literatura quanto à relaxação energética ultrarrápida (regra de Kasha), além de sugerir a existência de bandas ainda mais energéticas do que as já conhecidas. Pretende-se futuramente determinar a eficiência de tal transferência energética, pois ela pode ser um fator limitante na eficiência de fotoluminescência em polímeros conjugados com excitação no ultravioleta. / The optoelectronics industry is currently undergoing a transition period in which inorganic materials are being replaced by organic materials, oligomers and polymers, in the fabrication of some types of devices. However, factors such as low efficiency and low lifetime prevent polymer based devices on entering the market definitely. The solution of these issues requires a thorough knowledge of the electronic structure of these materials, but despite of scientific advances, there are still points to be clarified. For example, there is no consensus on the nature of the primary optical excitations and non-radiative processes in conjugated polymers, specially with ultraviolet excitation. Such processes limit the efficiency and can influence the photochemical processes, determining the device lifetime. These phenomena occur on a femtosecond timescale and therefore, ultrafast spectroscopy is the most appropriate technique for their study. In this work, we implemented the apparatus for pump-probe ultrafast spectroscopy on thin films of conjugated polymers, which can be used with two methods of data acquisition, phase-sensitive and shot-by-shot. The first is the standard method reported in the literature in which the excitation beam is modulated by a chopper and the signals measured by lock-in amplifiers. In the second, the detector signal conditioning is done by conventional amplifier circuits, followed shot-to-shot signal processing. This method provides the best statistics, in principle, because the laser fluctuations are normalized for each pulse, instead of using the average. In addition, the apparatus has a lower cost and the experiment is simpler, having as critical procedures the alignment of the beams on the sample and the determination of zero delay, with all other procedures done via software. The electronic circuitry for signal conditioning was designed and built and data acquisition software that enables measurements with both methods was developed in the LabVIEW programming language. However, the shot-by-shot method provided an inadequate sensitivity for the study of polymeric films (&Delta;T&frasl;T ~0.7%, limited by electronic noise in the amplification of detector signals), compared with &Delta;T&frasl;T ~ 0.1%, which was achieved by the phase sensitive method, and was the goal at the beginning of the project. Thus, the latter method was used to study the evolution of the spectrum and dynamics of stimulated emission of a film of MEH-PPV, with excitation in the visible and UV, allowing the study of the dynamics of higher lying electronic states. The results in the visible are consistent with those reported in the literature, which demonstrates the performance of the apparatus with respect to sensitivity and time/spectral resolution. The results with UV excitation indicate that the energy transfer among the more energetic bands to the &pi; - &pi;* band (internal conversion) occurs in about 300 fs, confirming the assumptions of the literature on the ultrafast energy relaxation processes (Kashas rule), besides suggesting the existence of even more energetic bands than those currently known. As future work, we plan to measure the efficiency of this energy transfer process, since it may be the limiting step in determining the overall photoluminescence efficiency of conjugated polymers with ultraviolet excitation.

A indústria optoeletrônica passa por um período de transformação em que os materiais inorgânicos estão sendo substituídos pelos orgânicos, oligômeros e polímeros, na fabricação de alguns tipos de dispositivos. No entanto, fatores como baixa eficiência e tempo de vida impedem que os aparelhos com base nos polímeros entrem definitivamente no mercado. Para resolver estas questões, é necessário um conhecimento profundo da estrutura eletrônica desses materiais. Apesar do avanço científico, ainda existem pontos a esclarecer. Por exemplo, não existe um consenso sobre a natureza das excitações óticas primárias e dos processos não radiativos nos polímeros conjugados, principalmente com excitação no ultravioleta. Tais processos limitam a eficiência e podem influenciar nos processos fotoquímicos, determinando o tempo de vida de um dispositivo. Esses fenômenos ocorrem em alguns picossegundos e, portanto, a espectroscopia ultrarrápida é a técnica mais adequada para o seu estudo. Neste trabalho, foi implementado o aparato para espectroscopia de bombeio e prova em filmes finos de polímeros conjugados, no qual podem ser usados dois métodos de aquisição de dados, sensível à fase e pulso-a-pulso. O primeiro é o método padrão citado na literatura, no qual o feixe de excitação é modulado por um chopper e os sinais são medidos por amplificadores lock-in. No segundo, o condicionamento de sinais é feito por circuitos amplificadores e o processamento dos sinais é feito pulso-a-pulso. É um método que a princípio fornece melhor estatística, pois as flutuações do laser são normalizadas pulso-a-pulso, e não na média. Além disso, apresenta menor custo e torna o experimento de bombeio e prova mais simples, pois os únicos procedimentos críticos passam a ser a sobreposição dos feixes na amostra e a determinação do atraso zero entre bombeio e prova. Foi projetado e construído o circuito eletrônico de condicionamento de sinais e o software de aquisição foi desenvolvido em linguagem LabVIEW. Entretanto, o método pulso-a-pulso forneceu uma sensibilidade inadequada para o estudo de filmes poliméricos, (&Delta;T&frasl;T ~ 0,7%, limitada pelo ruído elétrico na amplificação dos pulsos detectados), em contraste com &Delta;T/T ~ 0,1% que foi alcançada pelo método sensível à fase. Desta maneira, foi usado o último método para o estudo da evolução do espectro e da dinâmica de emissão estimulada de um filme de MEH-PPV, com excitação no visível e no ultravioleta, permitindo o estudo da dinâmica de relaxação dos estados de mais alta energia. Os resultados no visível são compatíveis com os da literatura, o que demonstra a confiabilidade do aparato quanto à sensibilidade e resolução temporal e espectral. Os resultados com excitação no UV indicam que a transferência de energia de bandas mais energéticas para a banda &pi; - &pi;&lowast; (conversão interna) ocorre em aproximadamente 300 fs, confirmando as suposições da literatura quanto à relaxação energética ultrarrápida (regra de Kasha), além de sugerir a existência de bandas ainda mais energéticas do que as já conhecidas. Pretende-se futuramente determinar a eficiência de tal transferência energética, pois ela pode ser um fator limitante na eficiência de fotoluminescência em polímeros conjugados com excitação no ultravioleta. / The optoelectronics industry is currently undergoing a transition period in which inorganic materials are being replaced by organic materials, oligomers and polymers, in the fabrication of some types of devices. However, factors such as low efficiency and low lifetime prevent polymer based devices on entering the market definitely. The solution of these issues requires a thorough knowledge of the electronic structure of these materials, but despite of scientific advances, there are still points to be clarified. For example, there is no consensus on the nature of the primary optical excitations and non-radiative processes in conjugated polymers, specially with ultraviolet excitation. Such processes limit the efficiency and can influence the photochemical processes, determining the device lifetime. These phenomena occur on a femtosecond timescale and therefore, ultrafast spectroscopy is the most appropriate technique for their study. In this work, we implemented the apparatus for pump-probe ultrafast spectroscopy on thin films of conjugated polymers, which can be used with two methods of data acquisition, phase-sensitive and shot-by-shot. The first is the standard method reported in the literature in which the excitation beam is modulated by a chopper and the signals measured by lock-in amplifiers. In the second, the detector signal conditioning is done by conventional amplifier circuits, followed shot-to-shot signal processing. This method provides the best statistics, in principle, because the laser fluctuations are normalized for each pulse, instead of using the average. In addition, the apparatus has a lower cost and the experiment is simpler, having as critical procedures the alignment of the beams on the sample and the determination of zero delay, with all other procedures done via software. The electronic circuitry for signal conditioning was designed and built and data acquisition software that enables measurements with both methods was developed in the LabVIEW programming language. However, the shot-by-shot method provided an inadequate sensitivity for the study of polymeric films (&Delta;T&frasl;T ~0.7%, limited by electronic noise in the amplification of detector signals), compared with &Delta;T&frasl;T ~ 0.1%, which was achieved by the phase sensitive method, and was the goal at the beginning of the project. Thus, the latter method was used to study the evolution of the spectrum and dynamics of stimulated emission of a film of MEH-PPV, with excitation in the visible and UV, allowing the study of the dynamics of higher lying electronic states. The results in the visible are consistent with those reported in the literature, which demonstrates the performance of the apparatus with respect to sensitivity and time/spectral resolution. The results with UV excitation indicate that the energy transfer among the more energetic bands to the &pi; - &pi;* band (internal conversion) occurs in about 300 fs, confirming the assumptions of the literature on the ultrafast energy relaxation processes (Kashas rule), besides suggesting the existence of even more energetic bands than those currently known. As future work, we plan to measure the efficiency of this energy transfer process, since it may be the limiting step in determining the overall photoluminescence efficiency of conjugated polymers with ultraviolet excitation.

No description available.

No description available.