Alexie Boyer

Abstract Symmetry governs nature’s laws, yet many of the natural phenomena occur due to the breakdown of symmetry. Here, we show how isotope-induced inversion symmetry breaking influences ultrafast photoisomerization processes in ethylene.

1. Introduction Click to copy section linkSection link copied! Ethylene (C2H4) undergoes ultrafast internal conversion (IC) from the 1ππ* excited state to the ground state (S0), which is the paradigm for the cis–trans photoisomerization of olefins. (1−15) The electronic transition to 1ππ* gives rise to a broad photoabsorption spectrum centered around 160 nm, which overlaps with the vibrationally resolved transitions to the π3s Rydberg state starting at 175 nm.