Femtosecond Pump and Probe Spectroscopy on Poly( Para -Phenylenes)

The authors studied the sub-picosecond dynamics of photoexcitations in methyl-substituted poly(para-phenylene)-type ladder polymer (m-LPPP) films in a wide excitation density range up to values typical for the regime of narrow band emission by pump-probe spectroscopy. The singlet excitons relaxation dynamics, monitored at the stimulated emission (SE) peak at 2.53 eV, showed an intensity dependent ultrafast decay component, which occurs on a sub-picosecond time scale, ascribed to the onset of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). In addition the authors identified photoinduced absorption (PA) bands of singlet excitons at 1.48 eV and polarons at 1.9 eV respectively. At high excitation density an additional absorption band becomes evident at 2.63 eV.