Photoisomerization transition state manipulation by entangled two-photon absorption.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 34799455.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.2116868118 and PMC identifier 8617409.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
We demonstrate how two-photon excitation with quantum light can influence elementary photochemical events. The azobenzene <i>trans</i> → <i>cis</i> isomerization following entangled two-photon excitation is simulated using quantum nuclear wave packet dynamics. Photon entanglement modulates the nuclear wave packets by coherently controlling the transition pathways. The photochemical transition state during passage of the reactive conical intersection in azobenzene photoisomerization is strongly affected with a noticeable alteration of the product yield. Quantum entanglement thus provides a novel control knob for photochemical reactions. The distribution of the vibronic coherences during the conical intersection passage strongly depends on the shape of the initial wave packet created upon quantum light excitation. X-ray signals that can experimentally monitor this coherence are simulated.