Nonlinear dynamics of attosecond charge migration in model carbon chains

Francois Mauger (1) , Aderonke S Folorunso (2) , Kyle A Hamer (1) , Cristel Chandre (3) , Mette B Gaarde (1) , Kenneth Lopata (4, 5) , Kenneth J Schafer (1)

1 Department of Physics and Astronomy [Baton Rouge]
2 Department of Chemistry
3 I2M - Institut de Mathématiques de Marseille
4 Department of Chemistry
5 CCT - Center for Computation and Technology [Baton Rouge]

We investigate attosecond charge migration (CM) in model carbon chains by employing tools from nonlinear dynamics. We show that mean-field interactions drive synchronization of the electron motion and give rise to a variety of CM dynamics. Notably, we find that a molecule can support several current-like CM modes, depending on the initial conditions, with periods varying by several hundred attoseconds. We also show that functionalization and hybridization can play an important role in synchronizing CM dynamics. Our results pave the way to understanding the mechanisms that regulates CM dynamics in complex molecules using nonlinear collective effects.

Domaines: Physique Atomique [physics.atom-ph]; Chimie-Physique [physics.chem-ph]; Dynamique Chaotique [nlin.CD]

Francois Mauger, Aderonke S Folorunso, Kyle A Hamer, Cristel Chandre, Mette B Gaarde, et al.. Nonlinear dynamics of attosecond charge migration in model carbon chains. 2020. ⟨hal-02866922v1⟩