Elucidating the synergetic interplay between average intermolecular coupling and coupling disorder in short-time exciton transfer

Abstract

Exciton transport in molecular aggregates is a fundamental process governing the performance of organic optoelectronics and light-harvesting systems. While most theoretical studies have emphasized long-time transport behavior, recent advances in ultrafast spectroscopy have brought into focus the short-time regime, in which exciton motion remains ballistic on femtosecond-to-picosecond timescales. In this work, we develop an analytical framework for short-time exciton dynamics in a one-dimensional lattice subject to both on-site energetic (diagonal) disorder and intermolecular coupling (off-diagonal) fluctuations. Utilizing the reciprocal-space analysis, we derive closed-form expressions for the first and second spatial moments considering both localized excitation and moving Gaussian initial conditions. Our analytical and numerical results show that, while the long-time dynamics are influenced by diagonal disorder, the short-time ballistic expansion is governed primarily by off-diagonal disorder. Crucially, we reveal a synergistic interplay between the average intermolecular coupling and the off-diagonal coupling disorder strength, demonstrating that they contribute equivalently to short-time exciton transport. Moreover, we integrate this generic disorder model with a realistic molecular system within the framework of macroscopic quantum electrodynamics, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for characterizing and optimizing ultrafast energy flow of disordered molecular aggregates in complex dielectric media.