S 1 /S 2 exciton splitting in the (2-pyridone)2 dimer

Abstract

The S1↔S0 and S2↔S0 vibronic spectra of the supersonically cooled 2-pyridone dimer (2PY)2 and its 13C-, d1-, and d2-isotopomers were investigated by two-color resonant two-photon ionization and fluorescence spectroscopies. For the C2h symmetric (2PY)2–h2 and (2PY)2–d2 complexes, the 2PY moieties are equivalent and the S1↔S0 (1Ag↔1Ag) transition is forbidden. A single H/D or 12C/13C isotopic substitution reduces the symmetry to Cs, so that (2PY)2–13C and (2PY)2–d1 both exhibit S1↔S0 and S2↔S0 transitions. The S1/S2 state exciton splittings are 43.6 cm−1 and 52.4 cm−1, respectively. These are analyzed in terms of a Frenkel model and compared to calculated splittings based on ab initio monomer transition dipole moments. For (2PY)2–d1, whose 2PY subunits are different, an excitation transfer time of 318 fs is calculated from the exciton splitting. The S1↔S0 and S2↔S0 spectra are analyzed and assigned. Several bu intermolecular vibrations of S1 appear via vibronic coupling to the S2(Bu) state. Combination of the fluorescence data from excitation of the S1 and S2 origins and vibrational excitations of (2PY)2–h2, (2PY)2–d1, and (2PY)2–d2 allows the determination of the six S0 state intermolecular vibrational frequencies.