Dynamic Stokes shift in solution: Effect of finite pump pulse duration

The time-evolution of the fluorescence spectrum of a dissolved chromophore excited by an ultrafast pump pulse is considered. The average value of the energy difference of the solute in its excited and ground states is used to describe the relaxation of the maximum of the transient fluorescence spectrum to its equilibrium value ~dynamic Stokes shift, DSS!. A simple formula for the normalized DSS is obtained which generalizes an earlier standard classical expression and includes the effect of a pump pulse of finite duration. As an example, dielectric dispersion data are used for a dipolar solute in water to estimate the quantum correction to the standard DSS expression. The correction is negligible when the frequency of the pump pulse is close to the maximum in the absorption spectrum, but a deviation from the standard formula can be expected for the pump pulse tuned to a far wing of the absorption band of the chromophore. An expression is given for this deviation. © 1998 American Institute of Physics. @S0021-9606~98!50817-3#