High-resolution UV spectroscopy of the chiral molecule 1-phenylethanol

Abstract

The rotationally resolved excitation spectrum of the S₁ ← S₀ electronic transition of the chiral molecule 1-phenylethanol is measured via laser-induced fluorescence detection in a cold, seeded molecular beam. The rotational constants and structure of the S₁ state are determined by fitting 419 spectral lines. The transition dipole moment is found to have predominant projections along the b and a inertial axes with only a small contribution along the c-axis, in agreement with ab initio calculations. Using two-color (1 + 1′) resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization the S₁ excited state lifetime is determined as 70 ± 18 ns.