Rectification of vibrational energy transfer in driven chiral molecules

Abstract

We show that the combination of molecular chirality and phase-controlled driving can lead to rectification of vibrational energy transfer. We demonstrate this effect using (1) a harmonic model of a single helical chain and (2) a more realistic model of a polyethylene double helix. We examine the effect of driving frequency, polarization, and temperature on this phenomenon. Notably, we find that the direction and magnitude of the observed directionality preference depend on the driving frequency and phase and that the effect persists at room temperature.