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Photophysical Chemistry Lab
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The lab follows molecular reactions moment by moment using ultrashort laser pulses.
AboutAbout the lab
Understanding molecular reactions as if seeing them with one's own eyes
The Photophysical Chemistry Lab (Kuramochi Lab) uses spectroscopy with ultrashort laser pulses to observe and elucidate how molecular reactions proceed (reaction dynamics).
Using light pulses shorter than 10 femtoseconds, the lab tracks moment by moment how the electronic states and structures of molecules change as a reaction proceeds.
The lab also works on single-molecule spectroscopy, which examines molecules one by one, and takes on the challenge of identifying the origin of reactivity that differs from molecule to molecule.
The lab belongs to the Future Materials Division, Microscale Materials Dynamics Group, in the Department of Materials Engineering Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science.
Key terms
- Femtosecond
- A unit of time equal to 10⁻¹⁵ seconds. It is used to express the duration of ultrashort light pulses.
- Pump-probe spectroscopy
- A spectroscopic method that uses ultrashort light pulses to follow, over time, how molecules change as a reaction proceeds.
- Single-molecule spectroscopy
- A spectroscopic method that observes the properties of molecules one by one, rather than the average over many molecules.
ResearchResearch themes
The lab develops and applies its own spectroscopic measurement methods based on optical technology, in order to observe and elucidate the reaction dynamics of molecules. It aims to reveal the precise mechanisms by which reactivity and function are determined in complex molecular systems.
*Illustrative imageReaction dynamics in complex molecular systems
Using methods such as pump-probe spectroscopy with sub-10-femtosecond ultrashort light pulses, the lab tracks changes in the electronic states and structures of molecules during reactions. It currently focuses on the early photoreaction processes of photoreceptor proteins and photosynthetic systems, and on exciton dynamics in photoelectric conversion materials.
*Illustrative imageUltrafast spectroscopy at the single-molecule level
At room temperature in solution, the environment and structure of molecules fluctuate thermally, which affects the reactivity of individual molecules. By combining ultrafast spectroscopy with single-molecule spectroscopy, the lab aims to directly observe the reaction dynamics and fluctuations of each individual molecule.
*Illustrative imageEvaluating materials through the behavior of single molecules
The Ito group develops methods that capture the behavior of single molecules with a precision of a few nanometers, and use it to image and evaluate the nanostructures of materials with super-resolution. It takes on the challenge of creating measurement methods that link the behavior of single molecules to the properties of molecular assemblies.
MembersFaculty
The Photophysical Chemistry Lab members consist of faculty, a project assistant professor, JSPS Postdoctoral Fellows for Research in Japan, students in the doctoral, master's, and undergraduate programs, and administrative assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorHikaru Kuramochi
- Associate ProfessorSyoji Ito
- Assistant ProfessorYusuke Yoneda
- Project Assistant ProfessorMasashi Koga
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Checking Laser's optics (noirlab- u3s0196)” International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Manuel Paredes / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Reaction dynamics in complex molecular systems: “Femtosecond Pulse Laser at Cornell University” paul_houle / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Ultrafast spectroscopy at the single-molecule level: “Laser lab ( )” Maximilian Paradiz from Amsterdam, Netherlands / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Evaluating materials through the behavior of single molecules: “Super Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy (NIH BioArt )” Courtesy of NIAID Ryan Kissinger / Public domain (cropped)
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