Formation and relaxation dynamics of a breather in trans-polyacetylene

Summary form only given. Polyacetylene has a nonlinear excitation of soliton in a trans form, because of the degeneracy between (-C=C-)/sub n/ (A-phase) and (=C-C=)/sub n/ (B-phase). According to the simulation performed using SSH (Su-Schrieffer-Heeger) Hamiltonian, a photogenerated electron-hole pair evolves into a soliton-antisoliton pair within the 100-fs following the photoexcitation as a result of one-dimensionality of the system. It has been also theoretically predicted that within this initial time the soliton pair is spatially localized, and it forms a dynamic bound state called a breather. Clear experimental evidence of the existence of the breather is presented.