Ultrafast two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) vibrational echo spectroscopy can probe structural dynamics under thermal equilibrium conditions on time scales ranging from femtoseconds to ∼100ps and longer. One of the important uses of 2D-IR spectroscopy is to monitor the dynamical evolution of a molecular system by reporting the time dependent frequency fluctuations of an ensemble of vibrational probes. The vibrational frequency-frequency correlation function (FFCF) is the connection between the experimental observables and the microscopic molecular dynamics and is thus the central object of interest in studying dynamics with 2D-IR vibrational echo spectroscopy. A new observable is presented that greatly simplifies the extraction of the FFCF from experimental data. The observable is the inverse of the center line slope (CLS) of the 2D spectrum. The CLS is the inverse of the slope of the line that connects the maxima of the peaks of a series of cuts through the 2D spectrum that are parallel to the frequency axis associated with the first electric field-matter interaction. The CLS varies from a maximum of 1 to 0 as spectral diffusion proceeds. It is shown analytically to second order in time that the CLS is the Tw (time between pulses 2 and 3) dependent part of the FFCF. The procedure to extract the FFCF from the CLS is described, and it is shown that the Tw independent homogeneous contribution to the FFCF can also be recovered to yield the full FFCF. The method is demonstrated by extracting FFCFs from families of calculated 2D-IR spectra and the linear absorption spectra produced from known FFCFs. Sources and magnitudes of errors in the procedure are quantified, and it is shown that in most circumstances, they are negligible. It is also demonstrated that the CLS is essentially unaffected by Fourier filtering methods (apodization), which can significantly increase the efficiency of data acquisition and spectral resolution, when the apodization is applied along the axis used for obtaining the CLS and is symmetrical about τ=0. The CLS is also unchanged by finite pulse durations that broaden 2D spectra.

Hydrogen bond dynamics of water in NaBr solutions are studied by using ultrafast 2D IR vibrational echo spectroscopy and polarization-selective IR pump–probe experiments. The hydrogen bond structural dynamics are observed by measuring spectral diffusion of the OD stretching mode of dilute HOD in H ₂ O in a series of high concentration aqueous NaBr solutions with 2D IR vibrational echo spectroscopy. The time evolution of the 2D IR spectra yields frequency–frequency correlation functions, which permit quantitative comparisons of the influence of NaBr concentration on the hydrogen bond dynamics. The results show that the global rearrangement of the hydrogen bond structure, which is represented by the slowest component of the spectral diffusion, slows, and its time constant increases from 1.7 to 4.8 ps as the NaBr concentration increases from pure water to ≈6 M NaBr. Orientational relaxation is analyzed with a wobbling-in-a-cone model describing restricted orientational diffusion that is followed by complete orientational randomization described as jump reorientation. The slowest component of the orientational relaxation increases from 2.6 ps (pure water) to 6.7 ps (≈6 M NaBr). Vibrational population relaxation of the OD stretch also slows significantly as the NaBr concentration increases.

Accurate and reliable prediction of the optical and photophysical properties of organic compounds is important in various research fields. Here, we developed deep learning (DL) optical spectroscopy using a DL model and experimental database to predict seven optical and photophysical properties of organic compounds, namely, the absorption peak position and bandwidth, extinction coefficient, emission peak position and bandwidth, photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), and emission lifetime. Our DL model included the chromophore–solvent interaction to account for the effect of local environments on the optical and photophysical properties of organic compounds and was trained using an experimental database of 30 094 chromophore/solvent combinations. Our DL optical spectroscopy made it possible to reliably and quickly predict the aforementioned properties of organic compounds in solution, gas phase, film, and powder with the root mean squared errors of 26.6 and 28.0 nm for absorption and emission peak positions, 603 and 532 cm^–1 for absorption and emission bandwidths, and 0.209, 0.371, and 0.262 for the logarithm of the extinction coefficient, PLQY, and emission lifetime, respectively. Finally, we demonstrated how a blue emitter with desired optical and photophysical properties could be efficiently virtually screened and developed by DL optical spectroscopy. DL optical spectroscopy can be efficiently used for developing chromophores and fluorophores in various research areas.