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Article
Outer-sphere Electron Transfer in Polar Solvents: Quantum Scaling of Strongly Interacting Systems.
The Journal of Chemical Physics (1993)
  • Xueyu Song, California Institute of Technology
  • Alexei A. Stuchebrukhov, California Institute of Technology
Abstract
The spin–boson Hamiltonian model is used to study electron transfer(ET)reactions of strongly interacting systems in polar solvents in the limit of fast dielectric relaxation of the solvent. The spectrum of polarization modes consists of low frequency modes which are treated classically, and high frequency modes which are treated quantum mechanically. A general explicit formula for the rate valid in all orders of perturbation theory in electronic coupling is derived. The rate formula is applicable in a wide range of parameters, including the inverted region of the reaction where the quantum tunneling corrections give the main contribution to the rate. It is found that the quantum degrees of freedom can be effectively eliminated from the model by renormalizing the electronic coupling matrix element. This renormalization results in the following scaling property of the electron transfer systems: a system containing both classical and quantum degrees of freedom is equivalent to a system of lower dimensionality, containing only classical degrees of freedom, with renormalized electronic coupling matrix element. An explicit formula for the renormalization is obtained.
Publication Date
March 30, 1993
DOI
10.1063/1.465310
Publisher Statement
This article is from The Journal of Chemical Physics, 99(2); 969-978. Doi: 10.1063/1.465310. Posted with permission.
Citation Information
Xueyu Song and Alexei A. Stuchebrukhov. "Outer-sphere Electron Transfer in Polar Solvents: Quantum Scaling of Strongly Interacting Systems." The Journal of Chemical Physics Vol. 99 Iss. 2 (1993) p. 969 - 978
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/xueyu-song/1/