Survival of nuclear coherences for a series of internal conversions in free base tetraphenylporphyrin

Abstract

We observe that the stepwise internal conversions from B to Qy and to Qx states in free base tetraphenylporphyrin generate coherent nuclear wave packets in both Qx and Qy states. Theory and experiment show that these wave-packet motions involve out-of-plane vibrations of the porphyrin ring that are strongly coupled to the internal conversions.