@article{MayerLeverPicconietal.2022,
  author    = {Mayer, Dennis and Lever, Fabiano and Picconi, David and Metje, Jan and Ališauskas, Skirmantas and Calegari, Francesca and D{\"u}sterer, Stefan and Ehlert, Christopher and Feifel, Raimund and Niebuhr, Mario and Manschwetus, Bastian and Kuhlmann, Marion and Mazza, Tommaso and Robinson, Matthew Scott and Squibb, Richard James and Trabattoni, Andrea and Wallner, M{\aa}ns and Saalfrank, Peter and Wolf, Thomas J. A. and G{\"u}hr, Markus},
  title     = {Following excited-state chemical shifts in molecular ultrafast x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy},
  series = {Nature Communications},
  volume    = {13},
  journal   = {Nature Communications},
  publisher = {Springer Nature},
  address   = {Berlin},
  issn      = {2041-1723},
  doi       = {10.1038/s41467-021-27908-y},
  pages     = {9},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The conversion of photon energy into other energetic forms in molecules is accompanied by charge moving on ultrafast timescales. We directly observe the charge motion at a specific site in an electronically excited molecule using time-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (TR-XPS). We extend the concept of static chemical shift from conventional XPS by the excited-state chemical shift (ESCS), which is connected to the charge in the framework of a potential model. This allows us to invert TR-XPS spectra to the dynamic charge at a specific atom. We demonstrate the power of TR-XPS by using sulphur 2p-core-electron-emission probing to study the UV-excited dynamics of 2-thiouracil. The method allows us to discover that a major part of the population relaxes to the molecular ground state within 220-250 fs. In addition, a 250-fs oscillation, visible in the kinetic energy of the TR-XPS, reveals a coherent exchange of population among electronic states.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{Picconi2022,
  author    = {Picconi, David},
  title     = {Quantum dynamics of the photoinduced charge separation in a symmetric donor-acceptor-donor triad},
  series = {The journal of chemical physics : bridges a gap between journals of physics and journals of chemistr},
  volume    = {156},
  journal   = {The journal of chemical physics : bridges a gap between journals of physics and journals of chemistr},
  number    = {18},
  publisher = {AIP Publishing},
  address   = {Melville},
  issn      = {0021-9606},
  doi       = {10.1063/5.0089887},
  pages     = {15},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The photoinduced charge separation in a symmetric donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) triad is studied quantum mechanically using a realistic diabatic vibronic coupling model. The model includes a locally excited DA*D state and two charge-transfer states D(+)A(-)D and DA(-)D(+) and is constructed according to a procedure generally applicable to semirigid D-A-D structures and based on energies, forces, and force constants obtained by quantum chemical calculations. In this case, the electronic structure is described by time-dependent density functional theory, and the corrected linear response is used in conjunction with the polarizable continuum model to account for state-specific solvent effects. The multimode dynamics following the photoexcitation to the locally excited state are simulated by the hybrid Gaussian-multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree method, and temperature effects are included using thermo field theory. The dynamics are connected to the transient absorption spectrum obtained in recent experiments, which is simulated and fully assigned from first principles. It is found that the charge separation is mediated by symmetry-breaking vibrations of relatively low frequency, which implies that temperature should be accounted for to obtain reliable estimates of the charge transfer rate.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MayerPicconiRobinsonetal.2022,
  author    = {Mayer, Dennis and Picconi, David and Robinson, Matthew S. and G{\"u}hr, Markus},
  title     = {Experimental and theoretical gas-phase absorption spectra of thionated uracils},
  series = {Chemical physics : a journal devoted to experimental and theoretical research involving problems of both a chemical and physical nature},
  volume    = {558},
  journal   = {Chemical physics : a journal devoted to experimental and theoretical research involving problems of both a chemical and physical nature},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0301-0104},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.chemphys.2022.111500},
  pages     = {9},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {We present a comparative study of the gas-phase UV spectra of uracil and its thionated counterparts (2-thiouracil, 4-thiouracil and 2,4-dithiouracil), closely supported by time-dependent density functional theory calculations to assign the transitions observed. We systematically discuss pure gas-phase spectra for the (thio)uracils in the range of 200-400 nm (similar to 3.2-6.4 eV), and examine the spectra of all four species with a single theoretical approach. We note that specific vibrational modelling is needed to accurately determine the spectra across the examined wavelength range, and systematically model the transitions that appear at wavelengths shorter than 250 nm. Additionally, we find in the cases of 2-thiouracil and 2,4-dithiouracil, that the gas-phase spectra deviate significantly from some previously published solution-phase spectra, especially those collected in basic environments.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{Picconi2021,
  author    = {Picconi, David},
  title     = {Nonadiabatic quantum dynamics of the coherent excited state intramolecular proton transfer of 10-hydroxybenzo[h]quinoline},
  series = {Photochemical \& photobiological sciences},
  volume    = {20},
  journal   = {Photochemical \& photobiological sciences},
  number    = {11},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {Heidelberg},
  issn      = {1474-905X},
  doi       = {10.1007/s43630-021-00112-z},
  pages     = {1455 -- 1473},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {The photoinduced nonadiabatic dynamics of the enol-keto isomerization of 10-hydroxybenzo[h]quinoline (HBQ) are studied computationally using high-dimensional quantum dynamics. The simulations are based on a diabatic vibronic coupling Hamiltonian, which includes the two lowest pi pi* excited states and a n pi* state, which has high energy in the Franck-Condon zone, but significantly stabilizes upon excited state intramolecular proton transfer. A procedure, applicable to large classes of excited state proton transfer reactions, is presented to parametrize this model using potential energies, forces and force constants, which, in this case, are obtained by time-dependent density functional theory. The wave packet calculations predict a time scale of 10-15 fs for the photoreaction, and reproduce the time constants and the coherent oscillations observed in time- resolved spectroscopic studies performed on HBQ. In contrast to the interpretation given to the most recent experiments, it is found that the reaction initiated by 1 pi pi* <- S-0 photoexcitation proceeds essentially on a single potential energy surface, and the observed coherences bear signatures of Duschinsky mode-mixing along the reaction path. The dynamics after the 2 pi pi* <- S-0 excitation are instead nonadiabatic, and the n pi* state plays a major role in the relaxation process. The simulations suggest a mainly active role of the proton in the isomerization, rather than a passive migration assisted by the vibrations of the benzoquinoline backbone. <br /> [GRAPHICS] <br /> .},
  language  = {en}
}