1. Effect of conformation and long-range structure on the femtosecond dynamics of electronic excitation transfer in well defined polymers Stephen Bradforth, U. Southern California (44206-AC6)
Aggregates of aromatic chromophores can absorb a photon’s energy and transmit excitation to other chromophores – “a photon wire”. DNA is an excellent model system, with well-defined structure, where there is large electronic coupling between neighboring bases.
Related structures based on a purely hydrocarbon chromophore, fluorene, have similar geometric arrangements of the transition dipoles and electronic couplings to the bases in DNA.
Using femtosecond laser spectroscopy, theory and modeling, this project establishes the relationship between conformation and energy delocalization in complex multi-chromophore systems.