LASER EXCITED FLUORESCENCE FROM SHORT--LIVED STATES OF AROMATIC MOLECULES IN SOLUTION

Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, University of PennsylvaniaRecent developments in experimental techniques have made possible a systematic study of the fluorescence properties of highly excited states of aromatic compounds in solution. Consecutive two-photon laser excitation has been used for selective population and measurement of the fluorescence spectra of upper singlet states of rhodamine dyes and aromatic hydrocarbons. These spectra are shown to be polarized even in fluid media and from the overall shape of the spectra, new information is available concerning the relative lifetimes of different vibronic states