LASER INDUCED HYDROGEN MOTION IN ORGANIC CRYSTALS AT LOW TEMPERATURE

Abstract
We study here a laser induced reaction leading to a rearrangement of the acid protons in benzoic acid crystals at very low temperature. This hydrogen motion results from the electronic excitation of pentacene molecules substitutionally included into a benzoic acid host matrix, protonated or deuterated. The growth of a deuterated benzoic acid crystal doped with pentacene leads to a partial deuteration of pentacene molecules, resulting in several origin bands in the absorption spectrum. The dynamics of the system following non selective and selective laser irradiations of the differently deuterated pentacene molecules is analyzed in terms of hydrogen rearrangements.