Excitons in molecular aggregates with Lévy-type disorder: anomalous localization and exchange broadening of optical spectra

Phys Rev Lett. 2010 Sep 24;105(13):137402. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.137402. Epub 2010 Sep 23.

Abstract

We predict the existence of exchange broadening of optical line shapes in disordered molecular aggregates and a nonuniversal disorder scaling of the localization characteristics of the collective electronic excitations (excitons). These phenomena occur for heavy-tailed Lévy disorder distributions with divergent second moments-distributions that play a role in many branches of physics. Our results sharply contrast with aggregate models commonly analyzed, where the second moment is finite. They bear a relevance for other types of collective excitations as well.