Dynamics of polyacetylene chains

Abstract

The dynamics of polyacetylene chains have been studied using the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger Hamiltonian and within the adiabatic approximation. We investigate the nature of the various nonlinear excitations of the system, as well as their interactions. It is shown that both solitons and breathers are highly stable and regain their shape after undergoing collisions with remarkable accuracy. A detailed analysis of soliton-antisoliton scattering is given, as well as its effect on the electronic properties of the system.