We present a novel mixed quantum classical dynamical method to include solvent effects on internal conversion (IC) processes. All the solute degrees of freedom are represented by a wavepacket moving according to nonadiabatic quantum dynamics, while the motion of an explicit solvent model is described by an ensemble of classical trajectories. The mutual coupling of the solute and solvent dynamics is included within a mean-field framework and the quantum and classical equations of motions are solved simultaneously. As a test case we apply our method to the ultrafast ππ* → nπ* decay of thymine in water. Solvent dynamical response modifies IC yield already on the 50 fs time scale. This effect is due to water librational motions that stabilize the most populated state. Pure static disorder, that is, the existence of different solvent configurations when photoexcitation takes place, also has a remarkable impact on the dynamics.

We present the simulation of the absorption (ABS), electronic circular dichroism (ECD), emission (EMI), and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) spectra for the weak electronic transition between the ground (S0) and the lowest excited state (S1) of hexahelicene, 2-methylhexahelicene, 2-bromohexahelicene, and 5-azahexahelicene. Vibronic contributions have been computed at zero Kelvin and at room temperature in harmonic approximation including Duschinsky effects and accounting for both Franck-Condon and Herzberg-Teller contributions. Our results nicely capture the effects of the different substituents on the experimental spectra. They also show that HT effects dominate the shape of ECD and CPL spectra where they even induce changes of signs; HT effects are also relevant in ABS and EMI, tuning the relative intensities of the different vibronic bands. HT effects are the main reason for the differences in the line shapes of ABS and ECD and of EMI and CPL spectra and for the mirror-symmetry breaking between ABS and EMI and between ECD and CPL spectra. In order to check the robustness of our results, given also that few examples of calculations of vibronic CPL spectra exist, we adopted both adiabatic and vertical approaches to define the model potential energy surfaces of the (S0) and the (S1) states; moreover we expanded the electric and magnetic dipole transition moments around both the S0 and S1 equilibrium geometries.

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