Light plays an important role in biology and chemistry, for example in the growth of plants or as an energy source for photosynthesis. While the biological response of living cells to light absorption generally takes up to several minutes, the initial, light-induced reaction steps occur on a femto second (fs = 10-15 s) or pico second (ps = 10-12 s) scale. These reactions occur on the same time scale as the movement of atoms. These fast reaction times are intended to avoid any potentially damaging side reactions.
Very short light pulses are needed in order to study ultrafast, light-induced reactions in detail and in real time. We use light pulses of 20 fs which serve as the basis for an ultrafast camera. This camera permits observation of the movement of individual atoms and, thus, the evolution of individual reaction steps (which determine the molecular function) over time.
Our work focuses on the examination of the ultrafast reaction dynamics of the enzyme catalysis in NADPH-protochlorophyllid-oxidoreductase as well as the study of light-induced, intra-molecular electron transfer processes in transition metal complexes. These systems are promising candidates for artificial light collectors in Grätzel solar cells and light-driven hydrogen catalysts.
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