Abstract

This tutorial will discuss techniques and applications of femtosecond photobiology. First, ultra-short pulse generation, detection and measurement techniques will be briefly reviewed. Then, several examples of ultrafast dynamics in biological systems will be discussed. Ultrafast spectroscopy has provided a wealth of new information about the dynamics and function of many biological systems. As examples we will discuss the energy and electron transfer processes in photosynthetic and artificial light-energy converting systems and isomerization reactions of retinal chromophores in poroteins used by nature in energy converting and signaling systems.

© 1998 IEEE