Scoring molecular wires subject to an ultrafast laser pulse for molecular electronic devices

A nonionizing ultrafast laser pulse of 20-fs duration with a peak amplitude electric-field +/- E = 200 x 10(-4) a.u. was simulated. It was applied to the ethene molecule to consider its effect on the electron dynamics, both during the application of the laser pulse and for up to 100 fs after the pulse was switched off. Four laser pulse frequencies ? = 0.2692, 0.2808, 0.2830, and 0.2900 a.u. were chosen to correspond to excitation energies mid-way between the (S-1,S-2), (S-2,S-3), (S-3,S-4) and (S-4,S-5) electronic states, respectively. Scalar quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) was used to quantify the shifts of the C1-C2 bond critical points (BCPs). Depending on the frequencies ? selected, the C1-C2 BCP shifts were up to 5.8 times higher after the pulse was switched off compared with a static E-field with the same magnitude. Next generation QTAIM (NG-QTAIM) was used to visualize and quantify the directional chemical character. In particular, polarization effects and bond strengths, in the form of bond-rigidity vs. bond-flexibility, were found, for some laser pulse frequencies, to increase after the laser pulse was switched off. Our analysis demonstrates that NG-QTAIM, in partnership with ultrafast laser irradiation, is useful as a tool in the emerging field of ultrafast electron dynamics, which will be essential for the design, and control of molecular electronic devices.

Automated summary

In this study, the effect of a nonionizing ultrafast laser pulse on the electron dynamics of ethene molecule was simulated. The results showed that the shifts of C1-C2 bond critical points were up to 5.8 times higher after the pulse was switched off compared to a static electric field. NG-QTAIM was used to visualize and quantify directional chemical character, and it was found that some laser pulse frequencies increased polarization effects and bond strengths after the pulse was switched off. The study demonstrates the usefulness of NG-QTAIM in the field of ultrafast electron dynamics for the design and control of molecular electronic devices.