We present a formalism to analyze the effects of collisions and intramolecular energy transfer and dephasing processes (
T1 and
T2 relaxation) on level-population dynamics and unimolecular decay of laser-driven gas molecules. Utilizing a Boltzmann or optical Bloch equation for the density matrix to describe laser excitation of a relaxing multilevel absorber, we develop a generalized master equation (GME) to describe the dynamics of level population evolution for multilevel absorbers having arbitrary numbers of quantum levels
N. Because the resulting level-population equations explicitly retain phase memory, the effect of complete or partial phase-coherent driving or incoherent driving by the laser field are all included within the GME solutions. The formalism provides straightforward means to calculate time-dependent solutions for arbitrary
N, where a single expression is valid on transient, post transient, approach to steady state, and steady-state time scales. We illustrate the behavior of these solutions for the special case of three- and eight-level systems, but the method is not restricted with regard to number of levels. In both this and the following paper, we use specific examples and general arguments to show that an ordinary master equation (OME) is invalid even under apparently favorable conditions including saturating field strengths. We demonstrate that, for an
N-level absorber with given coupling elements, there are
2N [or
2(N+1)] independent saturation solutions and that special conditions on the relaxation times are required to produce the ordinary equal-population solution. Explicit forms for the steady-state radiative-transition matrix $W(\ensuremath{\lambda}=0)$ are derived for arbitrary
N, and general arguments are given to show that the correct description of the dynamics given by the GME results from matrix singularities in $W(\ensuremath{\lambda}=0)$ which can never occur in an OME or similar rate equations.
A theory is developed to describe the effect of simultaneously occurring vibrational relaxation on intermolecular excitation transfer in the presence of radiative and nonradiative sinks. The basis is a master equation whose rates are combinations of the F\"orster-Dexter transfer rates and the Montroll-Shuler relaxation rates. Exact solutions are obtained for the probabilities of occupation of single vibrational levels as well as of site occupation, and for quantum yields and differential photon count rates. It is shown how phenomena exhibiting dependence of quantum yields or similar quantities on the wavelength of initial excitation can be quantitatively approached with the help of this analysis. The concept of time-dependent transfer rates is developed, and it is shown that at long times the transfer rate could tend to a value different from the thermalized F\"orster-Dexter rate. It is also shown how the relaxation process can result in an effective transfer rate (for singlets) whose dependence on the intermolecular distance
R is other than ${R}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$.
Bath-induced coherence transfer effects on a time- and frequency-resolved resonant light scattering spectrum is theoretically investigated using the Markoff master equation. According to Eberly and Wódkiewicz, a general expression for an experimentally observable spectrum in terms of a molecular response function is derived within the density matrix formalism. To generalize our previous results of the bath-induced coherence transfer which were derived based on a displaced harmonic oscillator model [Y. Ohtsuki and Y. Fujimura, J. Chem. Phys. 91, 3903 (1989)], an eigenstate basis is used to represent a relevant system for investigating characteristics of the transfer. By the present model, we clarify the dependence of the bath-induced coherence transfer on the energy-level structure of the intermediate states associated with the transfer, i.e., energy mismatch effects. It is shown that if the energy mismatch of these states is smaller than dephasing rates, the bath-induced coherence transfer occurs resonantly. In the other cases, the energy mismatch brings about a modulation in the time evolution of the superposition state created by the bath-induced coherence transfer, which strongly diminishes the efficiency of the transfer. The resonance condition is derived analytically and is confirmed by numerical calculations of quantum beats induced by the bath-induced coherence transfer. The possibility of very rapid dephasing of a quantum beat signal which cannot be explained in terms of dephasing rates is also shown, when the transition moments have such values that give π-phase-shifted quantum beats in bath-induced fluorescence.
We present an efficient theoretical method for calculating the time evolution of the density matrix of a multilevel quantum system weakly interacting with incoherent light. The method combines the Bloch-Redfield theory with a partial secular approximation for one-photon coherences, resulting in a master equation that explicitly exposes the reliance on transition rates and the angles between transition dipole moments in the energy basis. The partial secular Bloch-Redfield master equation allows an unambiguous distinction between the regimes of quantum coherent vs. incoherent energy transfer under incoherent light illumination. The fully incoherent regime is characterized by orthogonal transition dipole moments in the energy basis, leading to a dynamical evolution governed by a coherence-free Pauli-type master equation. The coherent regime requires non-orthogonal transition dipole moments in the energy basis and leads to the generation of noise-induced quantum coherences and population-to-coherence couplings. As a first application, we consider the dynamics of excited state coherences arising under incoherent light excitation from a single ground state and observe population-to-coherence transfer and the formation of non-equilibrium quasisteady states in the regime of small excited state splitting. Analytical expressions derived earlier for the V-type system [T. V. Tscherbul and P. Brumer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 113601 (2014)] are found to provide a nearly quantitative description of multilevel excited-state populations and coherences in both the small- and large-molecule limits.
In the framework of the theory of open quantum systems, we derive quantum master equations for the ultrastrong system-bath coupling regime and, more generally, the strong-decoherence regime. In this regime, the strong decoherence is complemented by slow relaxation processes. We use a generalization of the F\"orster and modified Redfield perturbation theories known in the theory of excitation-energy transfer. Also, we show that the mean-force Gibbs state in the corresponding limits is stationary for the derived master equations.
We present a non-perturbative framework for the quantum treatment of vibrational excitation in molecular systems driven by electric fields with arbitrary time dependence. For harmonic potentials with linear dipole coupling, the field-induced dynamics is exactly described by a displaced coherent state, whose evolution is completely determined by a complex phase-space coordinate. Closed-form expressions for this coordinate reveal a clear distinction between resonant and non-resonant regimes. The resulting vibrational populations follow a Poisson distribution determined by a dimensionless time-dependent phase-space displacement, for both resonant and non-resonant driving. Resonant driving results in an enhanced phase-space displacement, whereas finite detuning between the driving and vibrational frequencies leads to an exponential suppression of the phase-space displacement and vibrational excitation. While the approach reduces to the standard time-dependent perturbation theory in the weak-field limit, it remains valid in the strong-field regime, where perturbative treatments fail. Our results provide a transparent phase-space picture of vibrational control and enable non-perturbative state preparation in ultrafast spectroscopy.