Abstract

Following excitation of the H-O-H bending mode of water molecules in solution the stretching mode region is monitored over its entire width. The anharmonic coupling between the two modes results in a substantial change of the transient stretch absorption that decays with the bend depopulation time. Unlike in the gas phase, the stretch transition shifts to the blue which is a direct consequence of the weakened hydrogen-bond network.

© 2006 Optical Society of America