Abstract

We have used transient hole burning measurements to make the first measurements of solvation dynamics in a completely nonpolar system: dimethyl-s-tetrazine (DMST) in n-butylbenzene.¹,² A new model for solvation based on the mechanical response of a viscoelastic solvent explains the main experimental features and predicts new features on the femtosecond timescale. Although the mechanical solvation mechanism is most prominent in nonpolar systems, it should play a role in all solvation³,⁴ and electronic dephasing⁵–⁸ processes.

© 1994 Optical Society of America