Ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy as a probe of nonequilibrium dynamics in ruthenium complexes
Monday, February 11, 2013 - 09:00
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org)—Exciting the atoms or molecules of a substance via the use of visible light, or photoexcitation, can play a significant role in a range of energy-conversion processes, such as natural photosynthesis (oxygen from water) and manmade solar cells (electricity from sunlight). But a better understanding of the photoexcitation process is necessary in order to fully exploit this potential resource. Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory and Northern Illinois University have shown that the ultrafast x-ray spectroscopy technique employed at a high-brightness x-ray light source such as the Argonne Advanced Photon Source can produce valuable new information about the physics underlying photoexcitation.