Ultrafast vibrational energy transfer between surface and bulk water at the air-water interface

We report a femtosecond time-resolved study of water at the neat water-air interface. The O-H stretch vibrational lifetime of hydrogen-bonded interfacial water is measured using surface-specific 4th-order nonlinear optical spectroscopy with femtosecond infrared pulses. The vibrational lifetime in the frequency range of 3200 to 3500 cm^-1 is found to closely resemble that of bulk water, indicating ultrafast exchange of vibrational energy between surface water molecules and those in the bulk.