From Hydrogen Bonds to Energy Flow: Insights from THz Nonlinear
Spectroscopy
Dr. Vasileios Balos
IMDEA Nanoscience in Madrid
Understanding how energy flows through liquids at the molecular level is
central to chemistry, biology, and materials science. In this seminar, I
will present how nonlinear terahertz (THz) spectroscopy, and in
particular the Terahertz Kerr Effect (TKE), provides a direct window
into ultrafast energy transfer pathways in water, aqueous ionic
solutions, and other molecular liquids. By applying intense THz fields,
we can perturb the hydrogen-bond network and observe the resulting
collective reorientational and intermolecular dynamics, revealing how
energy redistributes in ultrafast timescales between the corresponding
degrees of freedom.
In this talk I will also discuss how the presence of ions reshapes these
pathways, modifying energy flow through hydration shells and
highlighting ion-specific effects on the hydrogen-bond network.
Comparisons with other polar liquids further illustrate how molecular
structure and interactions govern the response to strong THz excitation.
Together, these studies provide new insights into energy dissipation,
solvation dynamics, and intermolecular coupling, bridging the gap
between microscopic molecular behavior and macroscopic properties.
IMDEA Nanoscience in Madrid
Understanding how energy flows through liquids at the molecular level is
central to chemistry, biology, and materials science. In this seminar, I
will present how nonlinear terahertz (THz) spectroscopy, and in
particular the Terahertz Kerr Effect (TKE), provides a direct window
into ultrafast energy transfer pathways in water, aqueous ionic
solutions, and other molecular liquids. By applying intense THz fields,
we can perturb the hydrogen-bond network and observe the resulting
collective reorientational and intermolecular dynamics, revealing how
energy redistributes in ultrafast timescales between the corresponding
degrees of freedom.
In this talk I will also discuss how the presence of ions reshapes these
pathways, modifying energy flow through hydration shells and
highlighting ion-specific effects on the hydrogen-bond network.
Comparisons with other polar liquids further illustrate how molecular
structure and interactions govern the response to strong THz excitation.
Together, these studies provide new insights into energy dissipation,
solvation dynamics, and intermolecular coupling, bridging the gap
between microscopic molecular behavior and macroscopic properties.
