We present classical molecular dynamics simulations of the solvation dynami
cs of a strongly polar dye molecule in a weakly polar solvent. Solvation ti
mes and amplitudes are compatible with recent measurements. Several differe
nces in the solvation dynamics relative to the widely studied case of stron
g polar solvents are exhibited: lesser importance of the inertial component
of the Stokes shift, relaxation times close to individual solvent reorient
ational times, instead of the longitudinal relaxation time of the solvent,
large amplitudes of translational and orientational relaxation over about 1
0 ps and the presence of a long-lived solvation shell in the excited state.
(C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(99)51932-6].