Notizen: Zur Deutung der unterschiedlichen Strahlen- Empfindlichkeit organischer Moleküle / On the Radiation Sensitivity of Organic Molecules

Abstract

If an electron initially was localized at one carbon atom of a benzene molecule, its probability density will quickly dissipate over the whole ring. A rough model calculation using Wannier functions yields T_1/2 ≳ 10^-16 sec for the decay of the original distribution. A similar spreading will happen to a defect electron produced locally at the bond between two atoms. This effect of “healing” should be taken into consideration when the mechanism of radiation damage in organic molecules is discussed.