Optimal control of peridinin excited-state dynamics

Optimal control is applied to study the excited-state relaxation of the carbonyl-carotenoid peridinin in solution. Phase-shaping of the excitation pulses is employed to influence the photoinduced reaction dynamics of peridinin. The outcome of various control experiments using different experimentally imposed fitness parameters is discussed. Furthermore, the effects of pump-wavelength and different solvents on the control efficiency are presented. The data show that excited-state population within either the S1 or the ICT state can be reduced significantly by applying optimal control, while the efficiency of control decreases upon excitation into the low-energy side of the absorption band. However, we are unable to alter the ratio of S1 and ICT population or increase the population of either state compared to excitation with a transform-limited pulse. We compare the results to various control mechanisms and argue that characteristic low-wavenumber modes are relevant for the photochemistry of peridinin.