Turning charge transfer on and off in a molecular interferometer with vibronic pathways
Date
2009ISSN
1530-6984Source
Nano LettersVolume
9Issue
5Pages
1818-1823Google Scholar check
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Inelastic electron-transfer kinetics in molecules with electron donor and acceptor units connected by a bridge is expected to be sensitive to bridge-localized vibronic interactions. Here, we show how inelastic electron transfer may be turned on and off in a double-slit style experiment that uses the molecule as an interferometer. We describe donor-acceptor interactions in terms of interfering vibronic coupling pathways that can be actively selected ("labeled") when pathway-specific vibrations are excited by infrared radiation. Thus, inelastic tunneling may be actively controlled, and we suggest strategies for building molecular scale quantum interferometers and switches based on this phenomenon. © 2009 American Chemical Society.