Charge migration and charge transfer in molecular systems.
Wörner HJLaboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Arrell CALaboratory of Ultrafast Spectroscopy and Lausanne Centre for Ultrafast Science (LACUS), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Banerji NDepartment of Chemistry, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
Cannizzo AInstitute of Applied Physics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Chergui MLaboratory of Ultrafast Spectroscopy and Lausanne Centre for Ultrafast Science (LACUS), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Das AKDepartment of Chemistry, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Hamm PDepartment of Chemistry, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Keller UDepartment of Physics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Kraus PMInstitute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Liberatore EInstitute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Lopez-Tarifa PDepartment of Chemistry, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Lucchini MSwissFEL, Paul-Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland.
Meuwly MInstitute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Milne CInstitute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Moser JEPaul-Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland.
Rothlisberger UInstitute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Smolentsev GDepartment of Chemistry, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
English
The transfer of charge at the molecular level plays a fundamental role in many areas of chemistry, physics, biology and materials science. Today, more than 60 years after the seminal work of R. A. Marcus, charge transfer is still a very active field of research. An important recent impetus comes from the ability to resolve ever faster temporal events, down to the attosecond time scale. Such a high temporal resolution now offers the possibility to unravel the most elementary quantum dynamics of both electrons and nuclei that participate in the complex process of charge transfer. This review covers recent research that addresses the following questions. Can we reconstruct the migration of charge across a molecule on the atomic length and electronic time scales? Can we use strong laser fields to control charge migration? Can we temporally resolve and understand intramolecular charge transfer in dissociative ionization of small molecules, in transition-metal complexes and in conjugated polymers? Can we tailor molecular systems towards specific charge-transfer processes? What are the time scales of the elementary steps of charge transfer in liquids and nanoparticles? Important new insights into each of these topics, obtained from state-of-the-art ultrafast spectroscopy and/or theoretical methods, are summarized in this review.