Spin-boson theory for charge photogeneration in organic molecules: Role of quantum coherence

Abstract

The charge photogeneration process in organic molecules is investigated by a quantum heat engine model, in which two molecules are modeled by a two-spin system sandwiched between two bosonic baths. The two baths represent the high-temperature photon emission source and the low-temperature phonon environment, respectively. We utilize the time-dependent density matrix renormalization group algorithm to investigate the quantum dynamics of the model. It is found that the transient energy current flowing through the two molecules exhibits two stages. In the first stage the energy current is of a coherent feature and represents the ultrafast delocalization of the charge-transfer state, and in the second stage a steady incoherent current is established. The power conversion efficiency is significantly high and may reach the maximum value of $93%$ with optimized model parameters. The long-lived quantum entanglement between the two spins is found to be primarily responsible for the hyperefficiency.