Exploring photochemical reactions in complex environments

许多光化学反应的结果取决于多种因素，包括周围的溶剂或蛋白质环境。在凝聚相中包含发色团的环境不是惰性的，并且通过不同的机制在几个时间尺度上与系统相互作用。为了更深入地了解改变光化学反应动力学的精确系统浴相互作用，需要从“潮湿和嘈杂”凝聚相环境中研究分子水平的信息。这些将使用超快激光光谱进行探测，如二维电子和二维电子振动光谱，它们结合了宽带光谱分辨率和超快（低于20 fs，其中1 fs = 1 x 10^-15 s）时间分辨率。除了这些多维技术外，还将进行互补的瞬态吸收和时间相关的单光子计数测量。这些实验技术将用于研究一系列对植物生物传感或光形态发生重要的不同分子。该项目属于EPSRC气相和固相反应动力学和生物物理学研究领域，并与生命物理大挑战保持一致。

The outcome of many photochemical reactions are dependent on a multitude of factors, including the surrounding solvent or protein environment. The environment encompassing chromophores in the condensed phase is not inert, and interacts with the system on a several timescales via different mechanisms.To unravel a deeper understanding of the precise system-bath interactions which alter photochemical reaction dynamics requires molecular level information from studies in the 'wet and noisy' condensed phase environment. These will be probed using ultrafast laser spectroscopies such as 2D electronic and 2D electronic-vibrational spectroscopy which combine broadband spectral resolution with ultrafast (sub-20 fs, where 1 fs = 1 x 10^-15 s) time resolution. Alongside these multidimensional techniques, complimentary transient absorption and time-correlated single photon counting measurements will also be made. This arsenal of experimental techniques will be used to investigate an array of different molecules important to biosensing or photomorphogenesis in plants will be studied.The project falls within the Gas and Solution Phase Reaction Dynamics and Biophysics EPSRC research areas, and is aligned to the Physics of Life Grand Challenge.