Two-dimensional transient absorption spectroscopy using a streak camera for detection and singular value decomposition for data analysis

A setup in which a streak camera is used to perform nanosecond time-resolved optical absorption spectroscopy is described. The system provides spectral and temporal information in a single measurement. The time resolution ranges from 2 nanoseconds to several milliseconds, making possible the study of many different processes that occur in molecular systems upon photo-excitation, e.g. singlet-to-triplet intersystem crossing or energy transfer. A simple analysis method for the spectrotemporally resolved absorption data is proposed. This method is based on principal components analysis through singular value decomposition (SVD).