TESTING MOLECULAR WIRESA Photophysical and QuantumChemical AssayDer Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät derFriedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergzurErlangung des Doktorgradesvorgelegt vonMateusz WielopolskiErlangen, Deutschland2008Als Dissertation genehmigt von der Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der UniversitätErlangen-Nürnberg.Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 10. Februar 2009Vorsitzender derPromotionskommission: Professor Dr. Eberhard BänschErstberichterstatter: Professor Dr. Dirk M. GuldiZweitberichterstatter: Professor Dr. Andreas HirschDas geilste Zitat habe ich schon für meine Diplomarbeit verbraten.Fabian Spänig, (*1981),deutscher Lebenskünstler, Naturwissenschaftler und Staatsmannaus “Das Büro”, 2008.Für MaximusAcknowledgmentsIn the first place, I would like to dedicate a great THANK YOU to Prof. Dr. Dirk M. Guldiand Prof. Dr. Timothy Clark for giving me the opportunity to accomplish the presentPhD thesis as an interdisciplinary project between the two institutes of Physical ChemistryI and the Computer Chemie Centrum. With their continual interest and assistance fromboth ends - the experimental and theoretical - I was able to gather a very detailed scientificbackground for the investigated processes and their various characterization methods. Byfar more important is the fact that, whenever we had the chance to leave the scientific fields,our conversations turned out to be even more motivating and fruitful.