title: The molecular photo-cell: quantum transport and energy conversion at strong non-equilibrium.
abstract: The molecular photo-cell is a single molecular donor-acceptor complex attached to electrodes and subject to external illumination. Besides the obvious relevance to molecular photo-voltaics, the molecular photo-cell is of interest being a paradigmatic example for a system that inherently operates in out-of-equilibrium conditions and typically far from the linear response regime. Moreover, this system includes electrons, phonons and photons, and environments which induce coherent and incoherent processes, making it a challenging system to address theoretically. Here, using an open quantum systems approach, we analyze the non-equilibrium transport properties and energy conversion performance of a molecular photo-cell, including both coherent and incoherent processes and treating electrons, photons, and phonons on an equal footing. We find that both the non-equilibrium conditions and decoherence play a crucial role in determining the performance of the photovoltaic conversion and the optimal energy configuration of the molecular system.
authors: Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.
authors: Shigeru
authors: S
authors: Ajisaka
authors: Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 487-3, Santiago Chile.
authors: Bojan
authors: B
authors: Žunkovič
authors: 1] Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel [2] Ilse-Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.
authors: Yonatan
authors: Y
authors: Dubi