title: A multistate pH-triggered nonlinear optical switch.
abstract: By using hyper-Rayleigh scattering experiments and quantum-chemical calculations, we demonstrate that nonlinear optics can be used to probe unequivocally, within a non-destructive process, the multiple electronic states that are activated upon pH- and light-triggered transformations of the 4'-hydroxyflavylium ion. These results open new perspectives in the design of molecular-scale high-density optical memory.
authors.affiliation: Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, UMR 5255 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, 351 cours de la Libération, 33405 Talence Cedex (France). f.castet@ism.u-bordeaux1.fr.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Castet
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Champagne
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pina
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
keywords: flavylium ions; hyper-Rayleigh scattering; nonlinear optical switches; photochemistry; quantum chemical calculations