title: Structural determination of a short-lived excited iron(II) complex by picosecond x-ray absorption spectroscopy.
abstract: Structural changes of the iron(II)-tris-bipyridine ([Fe(II)(bpy)(3)](2+)) complex induced by ultrashort pulse excitation and population of its short-lived (< or =0.6 ns) quintet high spin state have been detected by picosecond x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The structural relaxation from the high spin to the low spin state was followed over the entire lifetime of the excited state. A combined analysis of the x-ray-absorption near-edge structure and extended x-ray-absorption fine structure spectroscopy features delivers an Fe-N bond elongation of 0.2 A in the quintet state compared to the singlet ground state.
authors.affiliation: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Laboratoire de Spectroscopie Ultrarapide, ISIC, FSB-BSP, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gawelda
authors.forename: Van-Thai
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benfatto
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zaushitsyn
authors.forename: Maik
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grolimund
authors.forename: Steven L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abela
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bressler
authors.forename: Majed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chergui