Thermal-Light-Induced Coherent Dynamics in Atoms and Molecules -- an Exact Quantum Mechanical Treatment

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates through exact quantum mechanical modeling that thermal sunlight can induce coherent excited-state dynamics in atoms and molecules, similar to coherent light, leading to wavepacket-like behavior in molecular systems.

Contribution

It provides the first exact quantum mechanical evidence that thermal light induces coherent dynamics in matter, challenging previous assumptions about sunlight's effects.

Findings

Thermal light induces excited-state coherences similar to coherent light.

Wavepacket-like dynamics are observed in molecular potential-energy surfaces.

The study uses a V-type model and a two-state molecular system.

Abstract

The question of whether sunlight induces coherent dynamics in biological systems is under debate. Here we show, on the basis of an exact fully quantum mechanical treatment, that thermal light induces excited-state coherences in matter similar to those induced by a coherent state. We demonstrate the phenomenon on a V-type model system and a two-state Born-Oppenheimer molecular system. Remarkably, wavepacket-like dynamics is induced in the excited molecular potential-energy surface.