Low-temperature quenching of one-dimensional localized Frenkel excitons

We present a theoretical analysis of low-temperature quenching of one-dimensional Frenkel excitons that are localized by moderate on-site (diagonal) uncorrelated disorder. Exciton diffusion is considered as an incoherent hopping over localization segments and is probed by the exciton fluorescence quenching at point traps. The rate equation is used to calculate the temperature dependence of the exciton quenching. The activation temperature of the diffusion is found to be of the order of the width of the exciton absorption band. We demonstrate that the intra-segment scattering is extremely important for the exciton diffusion. We discuss also experimental data on the fast exciton-exciton annihilation in linear molecular aggregates at low temperatures. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.