MOLECULAR QUANTUM DYNAMICS FROM HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY AND LASER CHEMISTRY

Intramolecular kinetics is of central importance as a primary process in chemical reaction dynamics in general and laser chemistry in particular. High resolution molecular spectroscopy provides one approach to studying the real time quantum dynamics of molecules. This paper outlines the conceptual background and briefly summarizes some results from the last decade with particular emphasis on recent work from our group in Zurich on intramolecular kinetics in the femtosecond to nanosecond domain. New quantum phenomena in intramolecular vibrational (rotational) redistribution (IVR) are identified, leading to two types of redistribution times, one quasiclassical, one purely quantal. The fundamental importance of symmetry and conservation laws - and their violation by weak forces of nature - for the primary processes of intramolecular kinetics is discussed.