Resonant laser excitation of molecular wires

Abstract

We investigate the influence of external laser excitations on the average current through bridged molecules. For the computation of the current, we use a numerically very efficient formalism that is based on the Floquet solutions of the time-dependent molecule Hamiltonian. It is found that the current as a function of the laser frequency exhibits characteristic peaks originating from resonant excitations of electrons to bridge levels which are unoccupied in the absence of the radiation. The electrical current through the molecule can exhibit a drastic enhancement by several orders of magnitude.