Optical spectra of push-pull chromophores in solution: A simple model

We extend the self-consistent two-state model, already proposed to describe linear and nonlinear spectral properties of push-pull chromophores in solution, to describe vibrational spectra and to account for inhomogeneous broadening effects occurring in polar solvents. The model, not relying on perturbative expansions of the solute-solvent interaction, offers a simple and internally consistent description of electronic and vibrational spectra. Exotic and apparently unrelated phenomena, like the narrowing of time-resolved emission bands and the dispersion of resonant Raman frequencies with the excitation line find a natural explanation in the proposed approach.