Orientation Dynamics and Molecular Structures from gas Phase to Condensed Media

Basic concepts of molecular orientation are discussed, and a unified picture is presented for rotational dynamics in different phases: coherent inertial in isolated molecules, partially coherent in dense fluids, and reaching the diffusive limit in liquids. Theory is compared to experimental studies from this laboratory on reactive and non-reactive systems, including biological systems. Important to molecular orientation is the time scale, and we compare quantum-state orientation (continuous wave experiment) and classical-like orientation achieved with femtosecond resolution.