# Theory of Exciton-Phonon Coupling

## TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical framework to understand how excitons interact with phonons in low-dimensional materials, affecting optical properties and exciton lifetimes, with a focus on deriving a practical expression for the exciton-phonon self-energy.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a new, more accurate expression for the exciton-phonon self-energy that accounts for exciton binding and electron-hole correlations, improving upon previous models.

## Key findings

- The derived expression captures temperature-dependent shifts in optical transition energies.
- The model predicts exciton lifetime broadening due to phonon interactions.
- Qualitative differences from previous models highlight the importance of electron-hole correlations.

## Abstract

The effects of the electron-phonon interaction on optical excitations can be understood in terms of exciton-phonon coupling, and require a careful treatment in low-dimensional materials with strongly bound excitons or strong electron-hole interaction in general. Through phonon absorption and emission processes, the optically accessible excitons are scattered into otherwise optically dark finite-momentum exciton states. We derive a practical expression for the phonon-induced term of the exciton self-energy (denoted as the exciton-phonon self-energy) that gives the temperature dependence of the optical transition energies and their lifetime broadening resulting from the exciton's interaction with the phonons. We illustrate this theory on a two-dimensional model, and show that our expression for the exciton-phonon self-energy differs qualitatively from previous expressions found in the literature that neglect the exciton binding or electron-hole correlations.