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# Relativistic treatment of harmonics from impurity systems in quantum wires

## I Introduction

Since the early nineties, the generation of high-order harmonics of a strong, low-frequency laser field has attracted a lot of attention in the atomic physics community, see e.g.  for a fairly recent review. Indeed, high-harmonic generation has opened a wide range of possibilities for obtaining high-frequency coherent sources, converting infrared input radiation of frequency $`\omega `$ into light in the extreme ultraviolet regime whose frequencies are multiples of $`\omega `$ (even up to order $`1000`$, see e.g.  for a recent review).

In gases, composed of atoms or small molecules, this phenomenon is well-understood and, to some extent, even controllable in the sense that the frequency of the highest harmonic, the so-called “cut-off”, can be tuned as well as the intensities of particular groups of harmonics. In more complex systems, however, as for instance solids, or larger molecules, high-harmonic generation is still an open problem. This is due to the fact that, until a few years ago, such systems were expected not to survive the strong laser fields involved. However, nowadays, with the advent of ultrashort pulses, there exist solid-state materials whose damage threshold is beyond the required intensities of $`10^{14}\mathrm{W}/\mathrm{cm}^2`$ . As a direct consequence, there is an increasing interest in such materials as potential sources for high-harmonics. In fact, several groups are currently investigating this phenomenon in systems such as thin crystals , carbon nanotubes , or organic molecules .

Prototype solid-state devices are quantum wires, which nowadays do not only serve as theoretical test ground, but may even be studied experimentally, e.g. . With regard to the previously outlined problematic it is of great interest to investigate how such devices interact with laser light. In particular, the question of whether such systems are suitable high-harmonic sources has not been dealt with up to now. This is the central question which we shall be answering positively in this manuscript.

A useful particularity of quantum wires is that they are the physical realization of models involving only one spatial dimension. Considering theories in one space dimension has the further virtue that it allowed for the development of various powerful non-perturbative techniques, which exploit the integrability of the models. For instance, one may compute the conductance of quantum wires in this fashion, see e.g.  and references therein. This also suggests that an exact relativistic treatment of the electrons in the wire in the presence of the laser field is possible. Therefore such a treatment constitutes an advantage over most approaches adopted in the literature, in the context of atoms in strong laser fields, which involve a series of approximations. The first, and most general approximation performed in this context is that a proper field-theoretical treatment is usually not taken into account. Furthermore, when dealing with a relativistic situation, the Dirac equation is solved mostly by numerical methods, which by themselves involve a series of approximation and exhibit a good convergence only for high-frequency fields . Further approximations include the expansion  of the Dirac equation for the weakly relativistic case, the solution of the Klein-Gordon equation  or of the relativistic Schrödinger equation, or purely classical treatments. For some recent general reviews see e.g. .

In this paper, we solve the Dirac equation for an electron in a quantum wire subject to an external laser field, including a single and multiple defects. We investigate in various different regimes the radiation emitted by an electron in this system in connection with the transmission at the defects and demonstrate that the generation of harmonics is possible in such systems.

## II Defect systems in laser fields

Since the work of Weyl , one knows that matter may be coupled to light by means of a local gauge transformation, which reflects itself in the usual minimal coupling prescription, i.e. $`_\mu _\mu ieA_\mu `$, with $`A_\mu `$ being the vector gauge potential. For a free Fermion with mass $`m`$ this yields to the Lagrangian density

$$_A=\overline{\psi }(i\gamma ^\mu _\mu m+e\gamma ^\mu A_\mu )\psi .$$
(1)
As common conventions***We adopt here relativistic units $`1=c=\mathrm{}=me^2137`$ as mostly used in the particle physics context rather than atomic units $`1=e=\mathrm{}=mc/137`$ useful in atomic physics., we abbreviated here $`\overline{\psi }=\psi ^{}\gamma ^0`$ and use the following realization for the gamma matrices

$$\gamma ^0=\left(\begin{array}{cc}0& 1\\ 1& 0\end{array}\right),\gamma ^1=\left(\begin{array}{cc}0& 1\\ 1& 0\end{array}\right),\gamma ^5=\gamma ^0\gamma ^1.$$
(2)
In the absence of the laser field the equations of motion for the free Fermion may be solved by the well-known Fourier decomposition

$$\psi _j^f(x,t)=\frac{d\theta }{\sqrt{4\pi }}(a_j(\theta )u_j(\theta )e^{i\stackrel{}{p}_j\stackrel{}{x}}+a_{\overline{ȷ}}^{}(\theta )v_j(\theta )e^{i\stackrel{}{p}_j\stackrel{}{x}}).$$
(3)
We parameterize the momentum as common through the rapidity $`\theta `$ by $`p_j^0=m_j\mathrm{cosh}\theta `$, $`p_j^1=m_j\mathrm{sinh}\theta `$ and denote the anti-particle (positron) of the Fermion (electron) $`j`$ by $`\overline{ȷ}`$ . For the Weyl spinors we employ the normalization

$$u_j(\theta )=i\gamma ^5v_j(\theta )=\sqrt{\frac{m_j}{2}}\left(\begin{array}{c}e^{\theta /2}\\ e^{\theta /2}\end{array}\right),$$
(4)
and the creation and annihilation operators $`a_i(\theta ),a_i^{}(\theta )`$ for a particle with rapidity $`\theta `$ obey the usual fermionic anti-commutation relations $`\{a_i(\theta _1),a_j(\theta _2)\}=0`$, $`\{a_i(\theta _1),a_j^{}(\theta _2)\}=2\pi \delta _{ij}\delta (\theta _1\theta _2)`$. When the laser field is switched on, we can solve the equation of motion associated to (1)

$$(i\gamma ^\mu _\mu m+e\gamma ^\mu A_\mu )\psi =0$$
(5)
by a Gordon-Volkov type solution

$`\psi _j^A(x,t)`$ $`=`$ $`\mathrm{exp}\left[ie{\displaystyle ^x}𝑑sA_1(s,t)\right]\psi _j^f(x,t),`$ (6)
$`=`$ $`\mathrm{exp}\left[ie{\displaystyle ^t}𝑑sA_0(x,s)\right]\psi _j^f(x,t).`$ (7)
Using now a linearly polarized laser field along the direction of the wire, the vector potential can typically be taken in the dipole approximation to be a superposition of monochromatic light with frequency $`\omega `$, i.e.,

$`A(t)`$ $`:=`$ $`A_1(t)={\displaystyle \frac{1}{x}}{\displaystyle _0^t}𝑑sA_0(s)`$ (8)
$`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \frac{1}{2}}{\displaystyle _0^t}𝑑sE(s)={\displaystyle \frac{E_0}{2}}{\displaystyle _0^t}𝑑sf(s)\mathrm{cos}(\omega s)`$ (9)
with $`f(t)`$ being an arbitrary enveloping function equal to zero for $`t<0`$ and $`t>\tau `$, such that $`\tau `$ denotes the pulse length. In the following we will always take $`f(t)=\mathrm{\Theta }(t)\mathrm{\Theta }(\tau t)`$, with $`\mathrm{\Theta }(x)`$ being the Heavyside unit step function. The second equality in (8), $`A_0(x,t)=x\dot{A}(t)`$, follows from the fact that we have to solve (6) and (7).

One comment is due with regard to the validity of the dipole approximation in this context. It consists usually in neglecting the spatial dependence of the laser field, which is justified when $`x\omega <c=1`$, where $`x`$ is a representative scale of the problem considered. In the context of atomic physics this is typically the Bohr radius. In the problem investigated here, this approximation has to hold over the full spatial range in which the Fermion follows the electric field. We can estimate this classically, in which case the maximal amplitude is $`eE_0/\omega ^2`$ and therefore the following constraint has to hold

$$\left(\frac{eE_0}{\omega }\right)^2=4U_p<1,$$
(10)
for the dipole approximation to be valid. Due to the fact that $`x`$ is a function of $`\omega `$, we have now a lower bound on the frequency rather than an upper one as is more common in the context of atomic physics. We have also introduced here the ponderomotive energy $`U_p`$ for monochromatic light, that is the average kinetic energy transferred from the laser field to the electron.

The solutions to the equations of motion of the free system and the one which includes the laser field are then related by a factor similar to the gauge transformation from the length to the velocity gauge

$$\psi _j^A(x,t)=\mathrm{exp}\left[ixeA(t)\right]\psi _j^f(x).$$
(11)
In an analogous fashion one may use the same minimal coupling procedure also to couple in addition the laser field to the defect. One has to invoke the equation of motion in order to carry this out, since as in , we assume here also that the defect is linear in the fields $`\overline{\psi }`$ and $`\psi `$. The Lagrangian density for a complex free Fermion $`\psi `$ with $`\mathrm{}`$ defects $`𝒟^\alpha (\overline{\psi },\psi ,A_\mu )`$ of type $`\alpha `$ at the position $`x_n`$ subjected to a laser field then reads

$$_{AD}=_A+\underset{n=1}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}𝒟^{\alpha _n}(\overline{\psi },\psi ,A_\mu )\delta (x_n).$$
(12)
Considering for simplicity first the case of a single defect situated at $`x=0`$, the solution to the equation of motion resulting from (12) is taken to be of the form

$$\psi _j^A(x,t)=\mathrm{\Theta }(x)\psi _{j,+}^A(x,t)+\mathrm{\Theta }(x)\psi _{j,}^A(x,t).$$
(13)
This means we distinguish here by notation the solutions (11) on the left and right of the defect, $`\psi _{j,}^A(x,t)`$ and $`\psi _{j,+}^A(x,t)`$, respectively. This is also reflected in the corresponding creation and annihilation operators $`a_{j,+}(\theta )`$, $`a_{j,}(\theta )`$, etc. One may then proceed according to standard potential scattering theory and notes that these functions are not independent of each other. Substitution of (13) into the equation of motion yields the constraints

$$i\gamma ^1(\psi _{j,+}^A(x,t)\psi _{j,}^A(x,t))|_{x=0}=\frac{𝒟_{AD}(\overline{\psi },\psi ,A_\mu )}{\overline{\psi }_j^A(x,t)}|_{x=0}.$$
(14)
These restrictions (14) serve to determine the transmission and reflection amplitudes. The extension to multiple defects, that is having equations of the type (14) for each defect situated at position $`x=x_n`$, follows in an analogous straightforward manner.

### A Transmission and Reflection amplitudes

Substituting the Fourier decomposition (3), together with the free Fermion solution minimally coupled to a laser field (11) into the constraint (14), one can determine the reflection and transmission amplitudes from the left to the right, $`R`$ and $`T`$, respectively. They are defined in an obvious manner as

$$a_{j,}(\theta )=R__j(\theta )a_{j,}(\theta )+T__j(\theta )a_{j,+}(\theta ).$$
(15)
When parity invariance is broken, the corresponding amplitudes from the right to the left do not have to be identical and are defined as

$$a_{j,+}(\theta )=\stackrel{~}{T}__j(\theta )a_{j,}(\theta )+\stackrel{~}{R}_j(\theta )a_{j,+}(\theta ).$$
(16)
In this way the laser field parameters $`E_0`$ and $`\omega `$ will be quantities on which the $`R`$’s and $`T`$’s depend upon at a particular time $`t`$. When iterating these equations one obtains the corresponding expressions for multiple defect systems, e.g. placing for instance the defect $`𝒟^\alpha `$ left from $`𝒟^\beta `$ one obtains the well known expressions

$`T_i^{\alpha \beta }(\theta )`$ $`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \frac{T_i^\alpha (\theta )T_i^\beta (\theta )}{1R_i^\beta (\theta )\stackrel{~}{R}_i^\alpha (\theta )}},`$ (17)
$`R_i^{\alpha \beta }(\theta )`$ $`=`$ $`R_i^\alpha (\theta )+{\displaystyle \frac{R_i^\beta (\theta )T_i^\alpha (\theta )\stackrel{~}{T}_i^\alpha (\theta )}{1R_i^\beta (\theta )\stackrel{~}{R}_i^\alpha (\theta )}}.`$ (18)
From our previous comment on the validity of the dipole approximation it is clear that the distance between the two defects introduces a new scale in the system, which has to be constraint as $`y<\omega ^1`$. In addition, to justify that the multiple defect system can be treated effectively as a single one, requires that the sum of the $`y`$’s is much smaller than the length of the wire. Similar expressions, which we will not need in what follows, hold for the parity reversed situation and for more defects, see e.g.  and references therein.

In addition with regard to the application of high harmonic generation, we shall be interested in the spectrum of frequencies which are filtered out by the defect while the laser pulse is non-zero. The Fourier transforms of the reflection and transmission probabilities provide exactly this information

$`𝒯(\mathrm{\Omega },\theta ,E_0,\omega ,\tau )`$ $`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \frac{1}{\tau }}{\displaystyle _0^\tau }𝑑t|T(\theta ,E_0,\omega ,t)|^2\mathrm{cos}(\mathrm{\Omega }t),`$ (19)
$`(\mathrm{\Omega },\theta ,E_0,\omega ,\tau )`$ $`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \frac{1}{\tau }}{\displaystyle _0^\tau }𝑑t|R(\theta ,E_0,\omega ,t)|^2\mathrm{cos}(\mathrm{\Omega }t).`$ (20)
When parity is preserved for the reflection amplitudes, we have $`|T|^2+|R|^2=1`$, and it suffices to consider $`𝒯`$ in the following.

#### 1 Type I defects

Taking the laser field in form of monochromatic light in the dipole approximation (9), we may naturally assume that the transmission probability for some particular defects can be expanded as

$$|T_I(\theta ,U_p,\omega ,t)|^2=\underset{k=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}t_{2k}(\theta )(4U_p)^k\mathrm{sin}^{2k}(\omega t).$$
(21)
We shall refer to defects which admit such an expansion as “type I defects”. Assuming that the coefficients $`t_{2k}(\theta )`$ become at most $`1`$, we have to restrict our attention to the regime $`4U_p<1`$ in order for this expansion to be meaningful for all $`t`$. Note that this is no further limitation, since it is precisely the same constraint as already encountered for the validity of the dipole approximation (10). The first coefficient is always the transmission probability for vanishing laser field, that is $`t_0(\theta )=|T(\theta ,E_0=0)|^2`$. The functional dependence of (21) will turn out to hold for various explicit defects considered below. Based on this equation, we compute for such type of defect

$$𝒯_I(\mathrm{\Omega },\theta ,U_p,\omega ,\tau )=\underset{k=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}\frac{(2k)!(U_p)^k\mathrm{sin}(\tau \mathrm{\Omega })t_{2k}(\theta )}{\tau \mathrm{\Omega }_{l=1}^k[l^2(\mathrm{\Omega }/2\omega )^2]}.$$
(22)
It is clear from this expression that type I defects will preferably let even multiples of the basic frequency $`\omega `$ pass, whose amplitudes will depend on the coefficients $`t_{2k}(\theta )`$. When we choose the pulse length to be integer cycles, i.e. $`\tau =2\pi n/\omega =nT`$ for $`n`$, the expression in (22) reduces even further. The values at even multiples of the basic frequency are simply

$$𝒯_I(2n\omega ,\theta ,U_p)=(1)^n\underset{k=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}t_{2k}(\theta )\left(U_p\right)^k\left(\begin{array}{c}2k\\ kn\end{array}\right),$$
(23)
which becomes independent of the pulse length $`\tau `$. Notice also that the dependence on $`E_0`$ and $`\omega `$ occurs in the combination of the ponderomotive energy $`U_p`$. Further statements require the precise form of the coefficients $`t_{2k}(\theta )`$ and can only be made with regard to a more concrete form of the defect.

#### 2 Type II defects

Clearly, not all defects are of the form (21) and we have to consider also expansions of the type

$$|T_{II}(\theta ,E_0/e,\omega ,t)|^2=\underset{k,p=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}t_{2k}^p(\theta )\frac{E_0^{2k+p}}{\omega ^{2k}}\mathrm{cos}^p(\omega t)\mathrm{sin}^{2k}(\omega t).$$
(24)
We shall refer to defects which admit such an expansion as “type II defects”. In this case we obtain

$`𝒯_{II}(\mathrm{\Omega },\theta ,E_0/e,\omega ,\tau )={\displaystyle \underset{k,p=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}}{\displaystyle \underset{l=0}{\overset{p}{}}}\left(\begin{array}{c}p\\ l\end{array}\right){\displaystyle \frac{\mathrm{\Omega }\mathrm{sin}(\tau \mathrm{\Omega })}{(1)^{l+1}\tau \omega ^{2+2k}}}`$ (27)
$`\left({\displaystyle \frac{(2k+2l)!t_{2k}^{2p}(\theta )}{\underset{q=0}{\overset{k+l}{}}[(2q)^2(\frac{\mathrm{\Omega }}{\omega })^2]}}+{\displaystyle \frac{(2k+2l)!t_{2k}^{2p+1}(\theta )E_0}{\underset{q=1}{\overset{k+l+1}{}}[(2q1)^2(\frac{\mathrm{\Omega }}{\omega })^2]}}\right)E_0^{2k+2p}.`$ (28)
We observe from this expression that type II defects will filter out all multiples of $`\omega `$. For the pulse being once again of integer cycle length, this reduces to

$`𝒯_{II}(2n\omega ,\theta ,U_p,E_0)`$ $`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \underset{k,p=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}}{\displaystyle \underset{l=0}{\overset{p}{}}}(1)^{l+n}{\displaystyle \frac{t_{2k}^{2p}(\theta )}{2^{2l2p}}}\left(U_p\right)^{k+p}`$ (34)
$`\times E_0^{2p}\left(\begin{array}{c}p\\ l\end{array}\right)\left(\begin{array}{c}2k+2l\\ k+ln\end{array}\right)`$
and

$`𝒯_{II}((2n1)\omega ,\theta ,E_0/e)={\displaystyle \underset{k,p=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}}{\displaystyle \underset{l=0}{\overset{p}{}}}(1)^{l+n+1}{\displaystyle \frac{t_{2k}^{2p+1}(\theta )}{2^{2l2p+1}}}`$ (35)
$`\times \left(U_p\right)^{k+p}\left(\begin{array}{c}p\\ l\end{array}\right){\displaystyle \frac{(2k+2l)!(2n1)E_0^{2p+1}}{(l+kn+1)!(l+n+k)!}}`$ (38)
which are again independent of $`\tau `$. We observe that in this case we can not combine the $`E_0`$ and $`\omega `$ into a $`U_p`$. The analytical expressions presented in this section will not only serve as a benchmark for our analytical computation, but can be used in addition to extract various structural information as we see below.

### B One particle approximation

In spite of the fact that we are dealing with a quantum field theory, it is known that a one particle approximation to the Dirac equation is very useful and physically sensible when the external forces vary only slowly on a scale of a few Compton wavelengths, see e.g. . We may therefore define the spinor wavefunctions

$`\mathrm{\Psi }_{j,u,\theta }(x,t)`$ $`:`$ $`=\psi _j^A(x,t){\displaystyle \frac{|a_j^{}(\theta )}{\sqrt{2\pi ^2p_j^0}}}={\displaystyle \frac{e^{i\stackrel{}{p}_j\stackrel{}{x}}}{\sqrt{2\pi p_j^0}}}u_j(\theta )`$ (39)
$`\mathrm{\Psi }_{j,v,\theta }(x,t)^{}`$ $`:`$ $`=\psi _j^A(x,t)^{}{\displaystyle \frac{|a_j^{}(\theta )}{\sqrt{2\pi ^2p_j^0}}}={\displaystyle \frac{e^{i\stackrel{}{p}_j\stackrel{}{x}}}{\sqrt{2\pi p_j^0}}}v_j(\theta )^{}.`$ (40)
With the help of these functions we obtain then for the defect system

$`𝚿_{i,u,\theta }^A(x,t):=\psi _i^A(x,t){\displaystyle \frac{|a_{i,}^{}(\theta )}{\sqrt{2\pi ^2p_i^0}}}=`$ (41)
$`\mathrm{\Theta }(x)\left[\mathrm{\Psi }_{i,u,\theta }(x,t)+\mathrm{\Psi }_{i,u,\theta }(x,t)R_i^{}(\theta )\right]+`$ (42)
$`\mathrm{\Theta }(x)T__i^{}(\theta )\left[\mathrm{\Psi }_{i,u,\theta }(x,t)+\mathrm{\Psi }_{i,u,\theta }(x,t)\stackrel{~}{R}__i^{}(\theta )\right]`$ (43)
and the same function with $`uv`$. Since this function resembles a free wave it can not be normalized properly and we have to localize the wave in form of a wave packet by multiplying with an additional function, $`\stackrel{~}{g}(p,t)`$ in (3) and its counterpart $`g(x,t)`$ in (43), typically a Gaußian. Then for the function $`𝚽_{i,u,\theta }^A(x,t)=g(x,t)𝚿_{i,u,\theta }^A(x,t)`$, we can achieve that $`𝚽=1`$.

## III Harmonic generation

As mentioned above, harmonic generation has attracted large attention in the atomic physics community in recent years. It is the non-linear response of a dipole moment, in general atomic, to an external laser field. Here we want to investigate whether such responses also exist for defect systems. We carry out our treatment relativistically. The time dependent dipole moment is given by

$$x_{j,u,\theta }(t)=𝚽_{j,u,\theta }^A(x,t)^{}x𝚽_{j,u,\theta }^A(x,t)$$
(44)
such that the emission spectrum is the absolute value of the Fourier transform of the dipole moment

$$𝒳_{j,u,\theta }(\mathrm{\Omega })=\left|_0^\tau 𝑑tx_{j,u,\theta }(t)\mathrm{exp}i\mathrm{\Omega }t\right|.$$
(45)
We localize now the wave packet in a region much smaller than the classical estimate for the maximal amplitude the electron will acquire when following the laser field. We achieve this with a Gaußian $`g(x,t)=\mathrm{exp}(x^2/\mathrm{\Delta })`$, where $`\mathrm{\Delta }eE_0/\omega ^2`$. Placing the defect at the origin and neglecting its extension, the computation of (44) with (43) then boils down to the evaluation of

$`x_{i,u,\theta }(t)={\displaystyle \underset{\mathrm{}}{\overset{0}{}}}{\displaystyle \frac{x\left[1+|R_i(\theta )|^2+2Re\frac{e^{2ix\mathrm{sinh}\theta }R_i(\theta )}{\mathrm{cosh}\theta }\right]}{2\pi e^{\frac{2}{\mathrm{\Delta }}[x+eA(t)]^2}}}𝑑x+`$ (46)
$`{\displaystyle \underset{0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}}{\displaystyle \frac{x|T_i(\theta )|^2\left[1+|R_i(\theta )|^2+2Re\frac{e^{2ix\mathrm{sinh}\theta }R_i(\theta )^{}}{\mathrm{cosh}\theta }\right]}{2\pi e^{\frac{2}{\mathrm{\Delta }}[x+eA(t)]^2}}}𝑑x.`$ (47)
The expressions for the $`R`$’s and $`T`$’s depend of course on the form of the defect and further generic statements can not be made at this point. We therefore turn to a concrete example.

## IV The energy operator defect

Localizing sharply the energy operator $`\epsilon (x)=g\overline{\psi }\psi (x)`$, with $`g`$ being a coupling constant, yields a defect which has been studied extensively in the absence of a laser field. It should be noted that this is only a particular example and one may also consider other type of defects in a analogous fashion, see  and references therein. One of the virtues of this defect is that it is real, thus preserving parity invariance.

Coupling the vector potential minimally to this type of defect yields

$$𝒟_{AD}(\overline{\psi },\psi ,A_\mu )=g\overline{\psi }(1+e/m\gamma ^\mu A_\mu )\psi ,$$
(48)
by invoking the equation of motion.

### A Transmission and Reflection amplitudes

We are now interested in determining the reflection and transmission amplitudes associated to this defect by the potential scattering method as outlined in section II A. Taking from now on $`m=1`$, we compute for the various reflection amplitudes

$`R_i(\theta ,g,A/e,y)=\stackrel{~}{R}_i(\theta ,g,A/e,y)=`$ (49)
$`R_{\overline{ı}}(\theta ,g,A/e,y)=\stackrel{~}{R}_{\overline{ı}}(\theta ,g,A/e,y)=`$ (50)
$`{\displaystyle \frac{[y\dot{A}\mathrm{cosh}\theta ]e^{2iy\mathrm{sinh}\theta }}{[1y\dot{A}\mathrm{cosh}\theta ]i\frac{g}{4}[\frac{4}{g^2}+1+A^2y^2\dot{A}^2]\mathrm{sinh}\theta }}.`$ (51)
We denoted the differentiation with respect to time by a dot. The transmission amplitudes turn out to be

$`T_i(\theta ,g,A/e,y)=\stackrel{~}{T}_i(\theta ,g,A/e,y)=`$ (52)
$`T_{\overline{ı}}(\theta ,g,A/e,y)=\stackrel{~}{T}_{\overline{ı}}(\theta ,g,A/e,y)=`$ (53)
$`{\displaystyle \frac{i\left[1y^2\dot{A}^2+(A\frac{2i}{g})^2\right]\mathrm{sinh}\theta }{\frac{4}{g}[1y\dot{A}\mathrm{cosh}\theta ]i[\frac{4}{g^2}+1+A^2y^2\dot{A}^2]\mathrm{sinh}\theta }}.`$ (54)
Locating the defect at $`y=0`$, the derivative of $`A`$ does not appear anymore explicitly in (50) and (53), such that it is clear that this defect is of type I and admits an expansion of the form (21). With the explicit expressions (50) and (53) at hand, we can determine all the coefficients $`t_{2k}(\theta )`$ in (21) analytically. For this purpose let us first bring the transmission amplitude into the more symmetric form

$$\left|T_i(\theta ,g,A/e)\right|^2=\frac{\stackrel{~}{a}_0(\theta ,g)+a_2(\theta ,g)A^2+a_4(\theta ,g)A^4}{a_0(\theta ,g)+a_2(\theta ,g)A^2+a_4(\theta ,g)A^4},$$
(55)
with

$`a_0(\theta ,g)`$ $`=`$ $`16g^2+(4+g^2)^2\mathrm{sinh}^2\theta ,`$ (56)
$`\stackrel{~}{a}_0(\theta ,g)`$ $`=`$ $`(g^24)^2\mathrm{sinh}^2\theta ,`$ (57)
$`a_2(\theta ,g)`$ $`=`$ $`2g^2(4+g^2)\mathrm{sinh}^2\theta ,`$ (58)
$`a_4(\theta ,g)`$ $`=`$ $`g^4\mathrm{sinh}^2\theta .`$ (59)
We can now expand $`\left|T(\theta ,g,A)\right|^2`$ in powers of the field $`A(t)`$ and identify the coefficients $`t_{2k}(\theta ,g)`$ in (21) thereafter. To achieve this we simply have to carry out the series expansion of the denominator in (55). The latter admits the following compact form

$`{\displaystyle \frac{1}{a_0(\theta ,g)+a_2(\theta ,g)A^2+a_4(\theta ,g)A^4}}={\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}}c_{2k}(\theta ,g)A^{2k},`$

with $`c_0(\theta ,g)=1/a_0(\theta ,g)`$ and

$`c_{2k}(\theta ,g)={\displaystyle \frac{c_{2k2}(\theta ,g)a_2(\theta ,g)+c_{2k4}(\theta ,g)a_4(\theta ,g)}{a_0(\theta ,g)}},`$

for $`k>0`$. We understand here that all coefficients $`c_{2k}`$ with $`k<0`$ are vanishing, such that from this formula all the coefficients $`c_{2k}`$ may be computed recursively. Hence, by comparing with the series expansion (21), we find the following closed formula for the coefficients $`t_{2k}(\theta ,g)`$

$$t_{2k}(\theta ,g)=[\stackrel{~}{a}_0(\theta ,g)a_0(\theta ,g)]c_{2k}(\theta ,g)k>0.$$
(60)
The first coefficients then simply read

$`t_0(\theta ,g)`$ $`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \frac{\stackrel{~}{a}_0(\theta ,g)}{a_0(\theta ,g)}}=|T(\theta ,E_0=0)|^2,`$ (61)
$`t_2(\theta ,g)`$ $`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \frac{a_2(\theta ,g)}{a_0(\theta ,g)}}\left[1t_0(\theta ,g)\right]`$ (62)
$`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \frac{8g^4(4+g^2)\mathrm{sinh}^22\theta }{(16g^2+(4+g^2)^2\mathrm{sinh}^2\theta )^2}},`$ (63)
$`t_4(\theta ,g)`$ $`=`$ $`\left[{\displaystyle \frac{a_4(\theta ,g)}{a_2(\theta ,g)}}{\displaystyle \frac{a_2(\theta ,g)}{a_0(\theta ,g)}}\right]t_2(\theta ,g),`$ (64)
and so on. It is now clear how to obtain also the higher terms analytically, but since they are rather cumbersome we do not report them here.

### B Harmonic generation

With the coefficients $`t_{2k}`$, we can compute the series (22) and (23) in principle to any desired order. For some concrete values of the laser and defect parameters the results of our evaluation are depicted in figure 1.

The main observation is that the defect acts as a filter selecting higher harmonics of even order of the laser frequency. Furthermore, from the zoom of the peak regions, we see that there are satellite peaks appearing near the main harmonics. They reduce their intensity when $`\tau `$ is increased, such that with longer pulse length the harmonics become more and more pronounced.

We also investigated that for different frequencies $`\omega `$ the general structure will not change. Increasing the field amplitude $`E_0`$, simply lifts up the whole plot without altering very much its overall structure. We support these findings in two alternative ways, either by computing directly (19) numerically or, more instructively, by evaluating the sums (22) and (23).

Figure 1: Absolute value squared of the Fourier transform of the transmission probability for a single defect with $`E_0=2.0`$, $`g=3.5`$, $`\theta =1.2`$, $`\omega =0.2`$.

Let us now carry out a similar analysis for a double defect system. We place one of the defects at $`x=0`$ and the other at $`x=y`$. The distance emerges now as a new scale in the system and note from our comment on the validity of the dipole approximation that is restricted as $`y<\omega ^1`$. In addition $`y`$ has to be much smaller than the total length of the wire. The double defect amplitudes are computed directly from (17) and (18) with the expression for the single defect (50) and (53). Since now both $`A`$ and $`\dot{A}`$ appear explicitly in the formulae for $`R`$’s and $`T`$’s, it is clear that the expansion of the double defect can not be of type I, but it turns out to be of type II, i.e., of the form (24). Hence, we will now expect that besides the even also the odd multiples of $`\omega `$ will be filtered out. This is confirmed by our explicit computations for two identical defects as depicted in figure 2.

Figure 2: Absolute value squared of the Fourier transform of the transmission probability for a double defect with $`E_0=2.0`$, $`g=3.5`$, $`\theta =1.2`$, $`\omega =0.2`$ and varying $`y`$.

Here we have only plotted a continuous spectrum for $`y=0.5`$, whereas for reasons of clarity, we only drew the enveloping function which connects the maxima of the harmonics for the remaining distances. We observe that now not only odd multiples of the frequency emerge in addition as harmonics, but also that we obtain much higher harmonics and the cut-off is shifted further to the ultraviolet. Furthermore, we see a periodic pattern in the enveloping function, which appears to be independent of $`y`$. Similar patterns were observed before in the literature, as for instance in the context of atomic physics described by a Klein-Gordon formalism (see figure 2 in ).

Figure 3: Absolute value squared of the Fourier transform of the transmission probability for a double defect with $`E_0=2.0`$, $`g=3.5`$, $`\theta =1.2`$, for even and odd multiples of $`\omega =0.2`$ and varying $`y`$.

With varying distance $`y`$ the new structures can be modulated, i.e. we can control the intensity of certain peaks and also shift the cut-off. Clearly for a concrete application one would like the control mechanism to be as simple as possible and therefore it is interesting to investigate precisely how the emission amplitude and the cut-off behave as functions of $`y`$. Unfortunately, this function turns out to be not very simple as can be seen from figure 3, where we present our analysis for varying $`y`$ and particular fixed harmonics. Nonetheless, there is a universal shape common to all harmonics of the same type. As expected from the analytical expressions the overall pattern for the odd and even harmonics differs. We confirm our previous observation, namely that for small values of the distance $`y`$, which corresponds to the limit of a single defect, there are no odd harmonics emerging.

Let us now come to the main point of our analysis and see how this structure is reflected in the harmonic spectrum. The result of the evaluation of (47) is depicted in figure 4.

Figure 4: Harmonic emission spectrum for a single defect with $`E_0=2.0`$, $`g=3.5`$, $`\theta =1.2`$, $`\omega =0.2`$, $`\mathrm{\Delta }=6`$.

We observe a very similar spectrum as we have already computed for the Fourier transform of the transmission amplitude, which is not entirely surprising with regard to the expression (47). The cut-off frequencies are essentially identical. From the comparison between $`𝒳`$ and the enveloping function for $`𝒯`$ we deduce, that the term involving the transmission amplitude clearly dominates the spectrum.

Let us now turn to the computation of the emission spectrum for a double defect system coupled to a laser field. We depict the results of our analysis in figure 5.

Figure 5: Harmonic emission spectrum for a double defect with $`E_0=2.0`$, $`g=3.5`$, $`\theta =1.2`$, $`\omega =0.2`$, $`\mathrm{\Delta }=6`$.

Once again, we observe a qualitatively similar behaviour as for $`𝒯`$, in particular the occurrence of even and odd order harmonics. We remark that in our approach for larger values of $`y`$ the normalization of the wave function becomes somewhat inaccurate and therefore the relative height in the intensities is not very precise. In principle this could be compensated, but for the conclusions we are trying to reach here that is not important.

The important general deduction from these computation is of course that harmonics of higher order do emerge in the emission spectrum of a defect system.

### C Relativistic versus non-relativistic regime

In the previous sections we have been working in an intensity regime which is close to the damage threshold of a solid, according to the experimental observations in . This allowed us to see the maximum effect with regard to harmonic generation which at present might be visible from experiments. However, it is also interesting to investigate situations which are not experimentally feasible at present and of course lower intensity regimes.

In order to judge in which regime we are working and whether there are relativistic effects, let us carry out various limits. First of all we recall a standard estimation according to which the relativistic kinetic energy is close to the classical one when one is dealing with velocities $`v^23/4c^2`$. This is the same as saying that the kinetic energy is much smaller than the rest mass $`E_{\text{kin}}m_0c^2`$. Making now a rough estimation for the system under consideration, we assume that the total kinetic energy is the one obtained from the laser field, i.e. the ponderomotive energy $`U_p`$. We also ignore for this estimation any sophisticated corrections, such as possible Doppler shifts in the frequency, etc. Then the non-relativistic regime is characterized by the condition $`U_p1`$.

Figure 6: Absolute value squared of the Fourier transform of the transmission probability for a single defect for various values of $`U_p`$ with $`g=3.5`$, $`\theta =1.2.`$

Based on our previous observation that $`𝒯`$ and $`𝒳`$ exhibit a very similar behaviour, it will be sufficient here to study only the $`𝒯`$ in the different regimes, which will be easier than an investigation of the full emission spectrum (47). From our analytic expression (23), we see that for a type I defect the quantity $`𝒯_I`$ becomes a function of $`U_p`$, such that the regime will be the same when we rescale simultaneously $`E_0`$ and $`\omega `$. Accordingly we evaluate numerically the Fourier transform (19), or equivalently compare against our analytical expression (23), and depict our results in figure 6.

We observe that when passing more and more towards the relativistic regime the cut-off is increased. The other feature one recognizes is that the modulating structure in the enveloping function of the harmonics becomes more pronounced. One should also note, in regard to (10), that the multipole structures might become more and more important in the relativistic regime.

Let us now perform a similar computation for the double defect. From the expressions (34) and (38) we see that now $`𝒯_{II}`$ is not just a simple function of $`U_p`$ and therefore even being in the same regime the behaviour will be different when $`E_0`$ and $`\omega `$ are rescaled. We alter in that case the regimes by rescaling $`E_0`$ and keeping the frequency fixed. Our results are depicted in figure 7.

Figure 7: Absolute value squared of the Fourier transform of the transmission probability for a double defect for varying values of $`E_0`$ with $`g=3.5`$, $`\theta =1.2,\omega =0.2`$.

Similar as for the single defect we see that the cut-off is increased and the modulating structure in the enveloping function becomes more emphasized when we move towards the relativistic regime. In addition we note that the difference between the even and odd harmonic becomes larger with increasing $`U_p`$. This effect is more extreme for the low order harmonics.

As a general observation we state that there are not any effects which seem to be special to the relativistic regime, but the transition to that regime seems to be rather smooth.

## V Conclusions

We have minimally coupled a laser field to an impurity system in a quantum wire described with the Dirac equation. Using a free field expansion for the free Dirac Fermion, we computed by means of standard potential scattering theory the reflection and transmission amplitudes associated to such type of defect. The amplitudes become functions of the defect coupling constant $`g`$, their separation $`y`$ and the laser field parameters $`E_0,\omega `$ and $`t`$. We employed these amplitudes in order to evaluate the emission spectrum of a dipole moment in such a system. Our findings for a single defect, taken to be the energy operator coupled minimally to the laser field, are that even multiples of the driving frequency $`\omega `$ are emitted. Investigating a double defect system of two of such defects, we observe the emission of odd as well as even multiples of the original frequency. These features may already be observed qualitatively on the Fourier expansion of the transmission amplitude, even analytically. When carrying out the non-relativistic and extreme relativistic limit we do not observe any special effect, the transition seems to be rather smooth.

There are various questions left for further investigation. As an interesting application one may for instance compute the conductance in a similar fashion as in  and employ the laser to control it.

Acknowledgments: O.A. C-A. and A.F. are grateful to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Sfb288) for financial support. We thank E. Lenz for providing various references.


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# Pseudogaps due to sound modes: from incommensurate charge density waves to semiconducting wires.

## I Introduction: pseudogaps in 1D.

This article is devoted to theory of pseudogaps (PGs) in electronic spectras in applications to Photo Electron Spectroscopy (PES). We shall study an influence of quantum lattice fluctuations upon electronic transitions in the subgap region for one-dimensional ($`1D`$) systems with gapless phonons. Low symmetry systems with gapful spectra have been addressed by the authors recently  and we refer to this article for a more comprehensive review and references. Here we will show that sound branches of phonon spectra change drastically the transition rates making them much more pronounced deeply within the PG. We shall consider two types of systems: generic $`1D`$ semiconductors with acoustic e-ph coupling (conducting polymers, quantum wires, nanotubes) and Incommensurate Charge Density Waves (ICDWs)  which possess the gapless collective phase mode.

The PG concept  refers to various systems where a gap in their bare electronic spectra is partly filled showing subgap tails. Even for pure systems and at temperature $`T=0`$ there may be a rather smeared edge $`E_g^0`$ while the spectrum extends deeply inwards the gap till some absolute edge $`E_g`$ which may be even zero (no true gap at all). A most general reason is that stationary excitations (eigenstates of the total electron-phonon $`eph`$ system) are the self-trapped states, polarons or solitons, which energies, $`W_p`$ or $`W_s`$, are below the ones of free electrons thus forming the absolute edge at $`E_g<E_g^0`$. Nonstationary states filling the PG range $`E_g^0>E>E_g`$ can be observed only via instantaneous measurements like optics, PES or tunneling. Particularly near $`E_g^0`$ the states resemble free electrons in the field of uncorrelated quantum fluctuations of the lattice ; here the self-trapping has not enough time to be developed. But approaching the exact threshold $`E_g`$, the excitations evolve towards eigenstates which are self-trapped $`eph`$ complexes. The PGs must be common in $`1D`$ semiconductors just because of favorable conditions for the self-trapping . Further on, the PG is especially pronounced when the bare gap is opened spontaneously as a symmetry breaking effect. In quasi-$`1D`$ conductors it is known as the Peierls-Fröhlich instability leading to the CDW formation. Here the picture of the PG has been suggested first theoretically  (recall also  and another model ) in relation to absence of the long range order in $`1D`$ CDWs at finite temperature. In this approach the smearing of the mean field electronic gap $`2\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ corresponds to disappearance of the true Peierls-Fröhlich transition in favor of a smooth crossover. The PG shape was related, and derived from, the temperature dependent finite correlation length $`\xi `$. An alternative picture was suggested in  and further developed in . It concentrates on effects persistent even at zero temperature which are due to strong interaction between bare electronic excitations and perturbations (amplitude and phase phonons) of the CDW ground state. Here the PG in instantaneous electronic spectra becomes related to transformation of electrons into solitons.

Experimentally, the PGs in ICDWs were addressed first by optic  and more recently by the PES and ARPES . The theoretical interpretation of earlier experiments was done in  by compilation of approaches from . Detailed theories of the subgap absorption in optics have been developed already for systems with low symmetries (nondegenerate, like semiconductors with gapful phonons, or discretely degenerate like the dimerized Peierls state). They addressed first a general type of polaronic semiconductors  with emphasis to long range Coulomb effects, and the $`1D`$ Peierls system emphasizing solitonic processes . Recently the authors  extended the theory of pseudogaps to single electronic spectra in application to the PES and, particularly intriguing, to the ARPES (momentum resolved PES) probes. But properties of ICDWs are further complicated by appearance of the gapless collective mode which bring drastic changes. The case of acoustic polarons (APs) in a 1D semiconductor belongs to the same class while it is not usually noticed.

Specifics of $`1D`$ systems with continuous degeneracy (with respect to the phase for the ICDW, to displacements for usual crystals) is that even single electronic processes can create topologically nontrivial excitations, the solitons. Thus for the ICDW a single electron or hole with energy near the gap edges $`\pm \mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ spontaneously evolve to the nearly amplitude soliton - AS whilst the original particle is trapped at the local level near the gap center. The energy $`0.3\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ is released, at first sight within a time $`\omega _{ph}^1`$ $`10^{12}s`$. We will see that actually there is also a long scale adaptation process which determines shapes of transition probabilities. Similarly, the usual acoustic polaron in a 1D semiconductors is characterized by the electronic density $`\rho `$ selflocalized within the potential well $`\phi /x\rho `$, hence a finite increment $`\phi (+\mathrm{})\phi (\mathrm{})\rho 𝑑x`$ of the lattice displacements $`\phi `$ over the length $`x`$ which is the signature of topologically nontrivial solitons. These systems with continuous degeneracy form a special class which shows particular properties and must be studied differently than in . They are addressed in this article.

## II Functional integrals and instantons for the PES.

The absorption rate $`I(\mathrm{\Omega },P)`$, as a function of frequency $`(\mathrm{\Omega }`$ and momentum $`P`$, for the ARPES can be expressed in terms of the spectral density of the one-electron retarded Green function $`G(t,t^{};x,x^{})`$ as

$$I(P,\mathrm{\Omega })Im𝑑Xe^{iPX}_0^{\mathrm{}}𝑑Te^{i\mathrm{\Omega }T}G(X,T,0,0).$$
(1)
We shall address here the simple PES, non resolved in momenta, measures the integrated absorption intensity $`I(\mathrm{\Omega })=I(P,\mathrm{\Omega })𝑑P/2\pi `$. (Since now on we shall omit all constant factors and take the Plank constant $`\mathrm{}=1`$; $`\mathrm{\Omega }`$ will be measured with respect to a convenient level: the band edge for semiconductors or the middle of the gap for CDWs.)

We shall use the adiabatic approximation valid when changes of electronic energies are much larger than relevant phonon frequencies. Electrons are moving in the slowly varying phonon potential, e.g. $`\mathrm{Re}\{\mathrm{\Delta }(x,t)\mathrm{exp}[i2k_Fx]\}`$ for the ICDW, so that at any instance $`t`$ their energies $`E(t)`$ and wave functions $`\psi (x,t)`$ are defined as eigenstates for the instantaneous lattice configuration and they depend on time only parametrically. In the following we shall work in the Euclidean space $`itt`$ which is adequate for studies of classically forbidden processes . Then in the form of functional integrals over lattice configurations we have

$$I(\mathrm{\Omega })_0^{\mathrm{}}𝑑TD[\mathrm{\Delta }(x,t)]\psi _0(0,T)\psi _0^+(0,0)e^S,$$
(2)
Here $`\psi _0`$ is the wave function of the particle (for the PES it is actually a hole) added and extracted at moments $`0`$ and $`T`$. For calculations of subgap processes only the lowest singly filled localized state is relevant which energy $`E_0`$ is split off inside the gap. The action $`S=S[\mathrm{\Delta }(x,t),T]`$

$$S=(_{\mathrm{}}^0+_T^{\mathrm{}})dtL_0+_0^T𝑑t(L_1\mathrm{\Omega }),L_1L_0=E_0$$
(3)
is given by Lagrangians $`L_j[\mathrm{\Delta }]`$ where the labels $`j=0,1`$ correspond to ground states for $`2M`$ (the bare number) and $`2M\pm 1`$ electrons in the potential $`\mathrm{\Delta }(x,t)`$. The main contribution comes from saddle points of $`S`$, the instantons, which are extremas with respect to both the function $`\mathrm{\Delta }(x,t)`$ and the time $`T`$. There are also special cases , particularly important for the ARPES, when the extremum must be taken for the whole expression in the integral (2), taking into account the wave functions in the prefactor. Otherwise we obtain for the stationary point $`dS/dT=0`$, that is $`E_0(0)=E_0(T)=\mathrm{\Omega }`$ which determines $`T(\mathrm{\Omega })`$.

In the following we shall concentrate on most principle features leaving aside calculations of prefactors and the question of the momentum dependence necessary for the ARPES. For a simpler case of nondegenerate systems they have been studied in .

## III Creation of amplitude solitons in ICDWs.

Consider first the subgap electronic spectra for the ICDW described by the Peierls-Fröhlich model. The ICDW order parameter is the complex field $`\mathrm{\Delta }=|\mathrm{\Delta }(x,t)|\mathrm{exp}[i\phi (x,t)]`$ acting upon electrons by mixing states near the Fermi momenta points $`\pm k_F`$. The Lagrangians $`L_j`$ consist of the bare kinetic $`|_t\mathrm{\Delta }|^2`$ and potential $`|\mathrm{\Delta }|^2`$ lattice energies and of the sum over the filled electron levels, in the $`j`$-th state:

$`L_j={\displaystyle 𝑑x2|_t\mathrm{\Delta }|^2/(\pi v_F\omega _0^2)}+V_j[\mathrm{\Delta }(x,t)]`$where $`v_F`$ is the Fermi velocity in the metallic state and $`\omega 0`$ is the amplitude mode frequency. ($`\omega _0\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ is the condition for the adiabatic approximation.)

The important fact is that the stationary state of the system with an odd number of particles, the minimum of $`V_1`$, is the amplitude soliton ($`AS`$) $`\mathrm{\Delta }\mathrm{\Delta }`$ with the midgap state $`E_0=0`$ occupied by the singe electron. Evolution of the free electron with the initial $`E_0=\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ to the AS with $`W_s=2/\pi \mathrm{\Delta }_0<\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ can be fortunately described by the known exact solution for intermediate configurations characterized by the single intragap $`E_0=\mathrm{\Delta }_0\mathrm{cos}\theta `$ with $`0\theta \pi `$, hence $`\mathrm{\Delta }_0E_0\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$. It was found , see also reviews , to be the Chordus Soliton ($`ChS`$) with $`2\theta `$ as the total chiral angle: $`\mathrm{\Delta }(+\mathrm{})/\mathrm{\Delta }(\mathrm{})=\mathrm{exp}(2i\theta )`$, see Fig.1 and the Appendix for details. The filling number of the intragap state $`\nu =0,1`$ corresponds to labels $`j=0,1`$. The term $`V_0(\theta )`$ increases monotonically from $`V_0(0)=0`$ for the $`2M`$ GS to $`V_0(\pi )=2\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ for the $`2M+2`$ GS with two free holes. The term $`V_1(\theta )=V_1(\pi \theta )`$ is symmetric describing both the particle upon the $`2M`$ GS and the hole upon the $`2M+2`$ GS. Apparently $`V_1(0)=V_1(\pi )=\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ while the minimum is reached at $`\theta =\pi /2`$ that is for the purely AS: $`\mathrm{min}V(\theta )=`$ $`V_1(\pi /2)=W_s<\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ where $`W_s=2\mathrm{\Delta }_0/\pi `$ is the AS energy, see Fig.2. Thus, to create a nearly AS with $`\theta =90^{}`$, the light with $`\mathrm{\Omega }W_s`$ is absorbed by the quantum fluctuation with $`E_0(\theta )=W_s`$ which is close to the chordus soliton with the angle $`\theta 50^{}`$.

Notice that being the uncharged spin carrier with the topological charge equal unity, the AS is a quasiclassical realization of the spinon in systems with nonretarded attraction of electrons (that is with high, rather than low, phonon frequencies). Thus our analysis is applied qualitatively also to arbitrary nonadiabatic electronic systems provided that they are found in the spin gap regime. (See also the next chapter.)

Usually it is tempting to use the static solution, with some free parameter, as an Anzatz for the time dependent process which proved to be successful in gapful cases . But here, putting $`\theta \theta (t)`$, we would arrive at $`_t\mathrm{\Delta }0`$ at all $`x`$ hence the action would be infinite $`S`$ the system length. The vanishing probability simply reflects the fact that a globally finite perturbation, characteristic for topologically nontrivial solitons, cannot spread over the whole length by a finite time. More generally, as a topologically nontrivial object, the AS cannot be created in a pure form: adaptational deformations must appear to compensate for the topological charge. These deformations are developing over long space-time scales which can be described in terms of the gapless mode, the phase $`\phi `$, alone. Hence allowing for the time evolution of the chiral angle $`\theta \theta (t)`$ within the core, we should also unhinder the field $`\phi \phi (x,t)`$ at al $`x`$ and $`t`$. The resulting trajectory is shown at the Fig.1 for an instant of time. Starting from $`x\mathrm{}`$ and returning to $`x\mathrm{}`$ the configuration follows closely the circle $`|\mathrm{\Delta }|=\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ changing almost entirely by phase. Approaching the soliton core the phase matches approximately the angles $`\pm \theta `$ which delimit the chordus part of the trajectory. The whole trajectory is closed which allows for the finite action.

Except for a short time scale $`T<\xi _0/u`$ (see Ch.IV C) characterized by small $`\theta `$ and large lengths $`\xi =\xi _0/\mathrm{sin}\theta `$, the configuration $`\mathrm{\Delta }(x,t)`$ can be divided into the inner part, the core at $`|x|\xi `$, and the outer part $`|x|\xi `$ where only perturbations of the phase $`\phi (x,t)`$ are important. The inner part can be described by the chordus soliton $`\mathrm{\Delta }_{ChS}(x,t)`$. The chordus angle $`2\theta (t)`$ evolves in time from $`\theta (\pm \mathrm{})=0`$ to $`\theta _m`$ in the middle of the $`T`$ interval. For $`T\mathrm{}`$, that is near the stationary state of the AS, $`\theta _m\pi /2`$. Actually this value is preserved during most of the $`T`$ interval so that changes between $`\theta =0`$ and $`\theta =\pi /2`$ are concentrated within finite ranges $`\tau _0\xi _0/uT`$ near the termination points. From large scales we view only a jump $`\phi (x,t)\theta (t)\mathrm{sgn}(x)`$ with $`\theta (t)\theta _m\mathrm{\Theta }(t)\mathrm{\Theta }(Tt)`$ ($`\mathrm{\Theta }`$ is the standard step function). Since the configuration stays close to the AS during the time $`T`$, the main core contribution to the action is

$$S_{core}=(W_s\mathrm{\Omega })T+\delta S_{core}$$
(4)
where the first correction $`\delta S_{core}^0=cnst`$ comes form regions around moments $`0,T`$ independently. The significant $`T`$ dependent contribution $`\delta S(T)`$ comes from interference of regions $`0`$ and $`T`$. Their interaction via gapful excitations like the amplitude mode decays exponentially as $`\delta S_{gap}\mathrm{exp}(\omega _0T)`$ and for low symmetry systems there was no other contribution. But now, for the ICDW, there are sound modes providing the main effect which is addressed below.

Matching the inner and outer regions is not well defined unless we consider a full microscopic time dependent model which is not possible. But fortunately the long range effects can be treated easily if we generalize the scheme suggested earlier for static problems of solitons at presence of interchain interactions . The outer region is described by the action for the sound like phase mode

$$S_{snd}[\phi (x,t),\theta (t)]=\frac{v_F}{4\pi }𝑑x𝑑t\left((_t\phi /u)^2+(_x\phi )^2\right),\phi (t,x_s\pm 0)=\theta (t)$$
(5)
where $`u`$ is the phase velocity. The action $`S_{snd}`$ takes into account the source provided by the chordus soliton forming around $`x_s`$ which enforces the discontinuity of $`2\theta `$. Integrating out $`\phi (x,t)`$ from $`\mathrm{exp}\{S_{snd}[\phi ,\theta ]\}`$ with this condition we arrive at the action for $`\theta (t)`$

$$S_{snd}[\theta ]\frac{v_F/u}{2\pi ^2}𝑑t_{1,2}\dot{\theta }(t_1)\mathrm{ln}|(t_1t_2)|\dot{\theta }(t_2)=\frac{v_F/u}{2\pi ^2}𝑑t_{1,2}\left(\frac{\theta (t_1)\theta (t_2)}{t_1t_2}\right)^2$$
(6)
Here the last form is a typical action for the problem of quantum dissipation  $`S|\omega ||\theta _\omega |^2`$. In our case this dissipation comes from emission of phase phonons while forming the long range tail in the course of the chordus soliton development. This action, together with $`V_j`$, can be used to prove the above statements on the time evolution of the ChS core.

Remember now that $`\dot{\theta }=_t\theta `$ is peaked within narrow regions $`\xi _0/u`$ around moments $`t=0`$ and $`T=0`$ and close to zero otherwise. Then

$$S_{snd}\left(v_F/4u\right)\mathrm{ln}(uT/\xi _0)$$
(7)
There is an even more phenomenological point of view, see  on more details and examples for combined topological defects. The AS creates the $`\pi `$ discontinuity along its world line $`(0<t<T,0)`$. To be topologically allowed, that is to have a finite action, the line must terminate with half integer vortices located at $`(0,0)`$ and $`(0,T)`$ which circulation will provide the compensating jump $`\delta \phi =\pi `$ along the interval ($`\mathrm{\Delta }\mathrm{\Delta }`$ combined with $`\phi \phi +\pi `$ leaves the order parameter $`\mathrm{\Delta }\mathrm{exp}(i\phi )`$ invariant). Then the standard energy of vortices for (5) leads to the action (7). Contrary to usual $`2\pi `$ vortices, the line connecting the half-integer ones is the physical singularity which tension gives (4).

Minimizing $`S_{tot}=S_{core}+S_{snd}`$with respect to $`T`$, we obtain near the AS edge $`\mathrm{\Omega }W_s`$ the power law

$$I(\mathrm{\Omega })\left(\frac{\mathrm{\Omega }W_s}{W_s}\right)^\beta ,\beta =\frac{v_F}{4u}$$
(8)
which is much more pronounced than the exponential law (see (18) below) for gapful cases.

Our derivation suggests literally the long range order at large $`(x,t)`$ distances and neglects fluctuations of the phase except perturbations enforced by the instanton. But the mean fluctuations of the phase diverge and the order parameter decays in a power law. These long range fluctuations are not related to the instanton and can be taken into account a posteriori.  (Actually we have been using only the discontinuity condition leaving the phase free at infinity.)It is easy to do by noticing that the eigenfunctions in the prefactor of (2) transform as $`\mathrm{\Psi }_0\mathrm{\Psi }_0\mathrm{exp}\{i/2\phi (x,t)\}`$ which averaging contributes the action term

$`\delta S_\phi =1/8<[\phi (0,0)\phi (0,T)]^2>\left(u/4v_F\right)\mathrm{ln}\left(uT/\xi _0\right).`$Thus the effect of phase fluctuations, as well as the major role of the form Factor, is simply to correct the value of the index in (8) as $`\beta \beta ^{}=v_F/4u+u/4v_F`$. Within our adiabatic approximation $`u/v_F1`$ the correction is small but it builds a bridge to quantum nonadiabatic models where exactly the combination of $`\beta ^{}`$ appears as the index of the single particle Green function with $`\gamma _\rho =u/v_F`$ being identified as the charge channel exponent. The link is completed by noticing that the AS is a realization of the spinon and that the phase discontinuity in (5) is equivalent, together with fluctuations, to applying the operator

$`\mathrm{exp}\left\{{\displaystyle \frac{i}{2}}\phi (x,t)+i{\displaystyle \frac{\pi }{2}}{\displaystyle \frac{\delta }{\delta \phi }}\mathrm{sgn}x\mathrm{\Theta }(t)\mathrm{\Theta }(Tt)\right\}`$which is our limit for the bosonization.

## IV Acoustic polaron and the free edge.

### A  1D semiconductors with acoustic and optical polarons.

Behavior near the free edge $`\mathrm{\Omega }\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ is dominated by small fluctuations $`\eta `$ of the gap amplitude $`|\mathrm{\Delta }|=\mathrm{\Delta }_0+\eta `$ and of the Fermi level $`\delta E_F=\phi ^{}v_F/2`$ via the phase gradient $`\phi ^{}=_x\phi `$. We shall consider it in a frame of a generic problem of the combined (gapful and acoustic) polaron. The more simple, in compare to the CDW, single particle formulation bares similar qualitative features but allows for a more detailed analysis. Consider electron (hole) states in a 1D dielectric near the edge of a conducting (valence) band. We shall take into account the gapful mode $`\eta `$ with the coupling $`g_0`$ and the sound mode (for which we shall keep the ”phase” notation $`\phi `$) with the velocity $`u`$ and the coupling $`g_s`$. In generic semiconductors the sound mode is always present as the usual acoustic phonon while the gapful mode can be present as an additional degree of freedom. In all CDWs the gapful mode is always present as the amplitude fluctuation $`|\mathrm{\Delta }|=\mathrm{\Delta }_0+\eta `$ while the sound mode appears in the ICDWs as the phase $`\mathrm{\Delta }=|\mathrm{\Delta }|\mathrm{exp}[i\phi ]`$.

Within the adiabatic approximation for the electron’s wave function $`\mathrm{\Psi }`$ the action $`S`$ (at the imaginary time) has the form

$`S={\displaystyle 𝑑x_0^T𝑑t\left[\left(\frac{1}{2m}\left|_x\mathrm{\Psi }\right|^2\mathrm{\Omega }\left|\mathrm{\Psi }\right|^2\right)+\left(g_s_x\phi +g_0\eta \right)\mathrm{\Psi }^{}\mathrm{\Psi }\right]}+`$ (9)
$`{\displaystyle 𝑑x_{\mathrm{}}^{\mathrm{}}𝑑t\left[\frac{K_s}{2}\left(\left(_t\phi /u\right)^2+\left(_x\phi \right)^2\right)+\frac{K_0}{2}\left(\left(_t\eta /\omega _0\right)^2+\eta ^2\right)\right]}.`$ (10)
Thus for the ICDW case we have $`m=\mathrm{\Delta }_0/v_F^2`$, $`g_0=1`$, $`g_s=v_F/2`$, $`K_s=v_F/2\pi `$, $`K_0=4/\pi v_F`$, $`2^{3/2}u/v_F=\omega _0/\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ and $`\mathrm{\Omega }`$ is counted with respect to the edge $`\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ rather than to the middle of the gap is in the previous chapter.

It is well known  that the stationary state, the time independent extremum of (10), corresponds to the selftrapped complex, the polaron. Here it is composed equally by both $`\eta `$ and $`\phi ^{}`$ which contribute additively to the static coupling (while the dynamics will be completely different)

$`\lambda =\lambda _s+\lambda _0={\displaystyle \frac{g_s^2}{K_s}}+{\displaystyle \frac{g_0^2}{K_0}}`$The polaronic length scale $`l`$ for $`\eta \phi ^{}|\mathrm{\Psi }|^2\rho _p(x)`$ is $`l=2/m\lambda `$ and the total energy is $`W_p=m\lambda ^2/24`$. The conditions $`|W_p|\omega _0`$ and $`\lambda u`$ define the adiabatic, Born - Oppenheimer, approximation. For the CDW case $`\lambda _s=v_F\pi /2`$ and $`\lambda _0=v_F\pi /4`$ hence $`\lambda v_F`$ and we would arrive at $`|W_p|\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ and $`l\xi _0=v_F/\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ which are the microscopic scales where the single electronic model may be used only qualitatively. The full scale approach for nearly stationary states has been considered above in Ch.III, but the upper PG region near the free edge $`\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ will be described by the model (10) even quantitatively and most efficiently.

We can integrate out the fields $`\phi `$ and $`\eta `$ at all $`(x,t)`$ to obtain the action in terms of $`\psi `$ alone which is defined now only at the interval $`(0,T)`$ for $`t`$:

$`S\{\mathrm{\Psi };T\}={\displaystyle 𝑑x𝑑t\left(\frac{1}{2m}\left|_x\mathrm{\Psi }\right|^2\mathrm{\Omega }\left|\mathrm{\Psi }\right|^2\right)}{\displaystyle \frac{1}{2}}{\displaystyle 𝑑t_{1,2}𝑑x_{1,2}}`$ (11)
$`\left\{U_0(x_1x_2,t_1t_2)\rho (x_1,t_1)\rho (x_2,t_2)+U_s(x_1x_2,t_1t_2)_x\rho (x_1,t_1)_x\rho (x_2,t_2)\right\}`$ (12)
Here the self-attraction retarded potentials are

$$U_s=\frac{\lambda _su}{2\pi }\mathrm{ln}\sqrt{x^2+t^2u^2},U_0=\frac{1}{2}\lambda _0\omega _0\mathrm{exp}[\omega _0|t|]\delta (x)$$
(13)
An equivalent form, suitable at large $`T`$, is obtained via integrating by parts

$`S\{\mathrm{\Psi };T)={\displaystyle 𝑑x_0^T𝑑t\left[\frac{1}{2m}\left|_x\mathrm{\Psi }\right|^2\mathrm{\Omega }\rho \frac{\lambda }{2}\rho ^2\right]}+`$ (14)
$`{\displaystyle \frac{1}{2}}{\displaystyle 𝑑t_{1,2}𝑑x_{1,2}_t\rho (x_1,t_1)_t\rho (x_2,t_1)U(x_1x_2,t_1t_2)}`$ (15)
where $`U(x,t)=u^2U_s+\omega _0^2U_0`$.

The absorption near the absolute edge $`\mathrm{\Omega }W_p`$ is determined by the long time processes when the lattice configuration is almost statically self-consistent with electrons. The first term in (15) is nothing but the action $`S_{st}`$ of the static polaron which extremum at given $`T`$ is

$`S_{st}T\delta \mathrm{\Omega },\delta \mathrm{\Omega }=\mathrm{\Omega }W_p.`$The second term in (15) $`S_{tr}`$ collects contributions only from short transient processes near the impact moments $`t=0,T`$ which are seen by the long length part as $`_t\rho (x,t)\rho _p(x)[\delta (t)\delta (tT)]`$ where $`\rho _p`$ is the density for the static polaron solution. We obtain

$`S_{tr}`$ $``$ $`{\displaystyle 𝑑x_{1,2}\rho _p(x_1)\rho _p(x_2)U(x_1x_2,T)}`$
$`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \frac{\lambda _s}{2\pi u}}\mathrm{ln}{\displaystyle \frac{uT}{l}}+C_0{\displaystyle \frac{\lambda _0/l}{\omega _0}}\mathrm{exp}[\omega _0T]+cnst`$
with $`C_01`$. We see the dominant contribution of the sound mode which grows logarithmically in $`T`$ while the part of the gapful mode decays exponentially. If the sound mode is present at all, then the extremum over $`T`$ is

$$T\frac{\lambda _s}{2\pi u}\frac{1}{\delta \mathrm{\Omega }},S\frac{\lambda _s}{2\pi u}\mathrm{ln}\frac{C_s|W_p|}{\delta \mathrm{\Omega }},C_s0.9$$
(16)
We find that near the absolute edge $`\mathrm{\Omega }W_p`$ the absorption is dominated by the power law with an index $`\alpha `$ which must be big within our adiabatic assumption $`\alpha 1`$:

$$I\left(\frac{\delta \mathrm{\Omega }}{|W_p|}\right)^\alpha ,\alpha =\frac{\lambda _s}{2\pi u}$$
(17)
For parameters of the ICDW we obtain $`\alpha =v_F/4u`$ in full accordance with the exact treatment (8).

Only in absence of sound modes $`\lambda _s=0`$ the gapful contribution can determine the absolute edge. Then the minimization over $`T`$ of $`S=S_{core}+\delta S_{gap}`$ would lead qualitatively to the result of :

$$T\omega _0^1\mathrm{ln}\left|\frac{W_p}{(W_p\mathrm{\Omega })}\right|,I\mathrm{exp}\left(cnst\frac{|W_p|}{\omega _0}+\frac{\mathrm{\Omega }W_p}{\omega _0}\mathrm{ln}\left|\frac{W_p}{(\mathrm{\Omega }W_p)}\right|\right)$$
(18)
for $`\mathrm{\Omega }W_p`$.

### B Free edge vicinity.

Consider the opposite regime near the free edge $`\mathrm{\Omega }0`$ ($`\mathrm{\Omega }\mathrm{\Omega }\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ for the ICDW). Here, entering the PG at $`\mathrm{\Omega }<0`$, the absorption is determined by fast processes of quantum fluctuations: their characteristic time $`T=T(\mathrm{\Omega })`$ is short in compare to the relevant phonon frequency: $`T\omega _0,u/L`$, where $`L=L(\mathrm{\Omega })`$ is the characteristic localization length for the fluctuational electronic level at $`E_0=\mathrm{\Omega }`$. Since $`T`$ is small, we can neglect all variations in time within $`(0,T)`$. Then we estimate the action (12), term by term, as

$$S\frac{C_1T}{mL^2}\mathrm{\Omega }TC_2\lambda _su\left(\frac{T}{L}\right)^2C_3\lambda _0\omega _0\frac{T^2}{L}$$
(19)
with $`C_i1`$. Its extremum over both $`L`$ and $`T`$ yields

$`S{\displaystyle \frac{|\mathrm{\Omega }|^{3/2}/m^{1/2}}{\mathrm{max}\{|m\mathrm{\Omega }|^{1/2}u\lambda _s;\omega _0\lambda _0\}}}`$which provides a reasonable interpolation for the absorption in the closest and the more distant vicinities of the free electronic edge. For the purely acoustic case $`\lambda _0=0`$, a variational estimation for the numerical coefficient as $`C_11/6,C_20.06`$ gives

$$I\mathrm{exp}[cnst|\mathrm{\Omega }|/mu\lambda _s],cnst2.8$$
(20)
The validity condition $`uT/L\sqrt{\mathrm{\Omega }/W_p}1`$ is satisfied by definition of the edge region. This condition is compatible with the low boundary for the frequency: $`S1`$ hence $`\mathrm{\Omega }/W_pu/\lambda _s`$, which is small as our basic adiabatic parameter.

For gapful phonons alone, $`\lambda _s=0`$, we arrive at the known result (see  and references therein) $`I\mathrm{exp}[cnst|\mathrm{\Omega }|^{3/2}/\omega _0]`$, $`\mathrm{\Omega }<0`$. But it was not quite predictable that among the laws $`S|\mathrm{\Omega }|^{3/2}`$ and $`S|\mathrm{\Omega }|`$ this is the smallest contribution to $`S`$ which wins: $`|\mathrm{\Omega }|^{3/2}`$ at lowest $`|\mathrm{\Omega }|`$ and $`|\mathrm{\Omega }|`$ for larger $`|\mathrm{\Omega }|`$. For the ICDW particularly, we have $`\lambda _0/\lambda _s1`$ and $`u/\omega _0\xi _0`$, then there is no space for the intermediate asymptotics $`\mathrm{ln}I\mathrm{\Omega }`$ at $`|\mathrm{\Omega }|\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$: beyond the region with $`S|\mathrm{\Omega }|^{3/2}`$ dominated be the amplitude fluctuations, the phase-only description is not valid and the particular nature of amplitude solitons must be taken into account. This regime has been considered above in Ch.III.

Actually the difference between the laws $`\mathrm{log}I|\mathrm{\Omega }|/u`$ and $`\mathrm{log}I|\mathrm{\Omega }|^{3/2}/\omega _0`$ can be easily interpreted. Indeed, for gapful phonons we expect the frequency scale to be $`\omega _0\omega _k=uku/Lu|\mathrm{\Omega }|^{1/2}`$ where $`k1/L`$ is a characteristic wave number and $`L`$ is the localization length of the fluctuation providing the bound state at $`\mathrm{\Omega }`$. Then $`|\mathrm{\Omega }|^{3/2}/\omega _0|\mathrm{\Omega }|^{3/2}/\omega _k|\mathrm{\Omega }|/u`$.

While the law (20) looks to be the simplest one, actually it is quite uncommon and its derivation is problematic in all systems, cf. . In our case we notice that only at $`\lambda _00`$ the action (19) has a usual saddle point: minimum over $`L`$ and maximum over $`T`$. But for the purely acoustic case $`\lambda _0=0`$ the minimum over $`L`$ appears only along the extremal line over $`T`$. Contrarily, at a given $`T`$ the action collapses to either $`L0`$ or to $`L\mathrm{}`$ depending on a value of $`T`$ with respect to the threshold $`T^{}(mu\lambda _s)^1`$ which is just the inverse width in (20). The paradox can be resolved inspecting the generic real time formulation (2). But a necessary insight will be obtained more easily by another treatment presented in the next section.

### C Quantum fluctuations as an instantaneous disorder with long rang space correlations.

It has been noticed already that in a one dimensional system the optical absorption near the band edge can be viewed as if for a quenched disorder which is emulated by instantaneous quantum fluctuations. This asymptotically exact reduction to the time independent model can be done as follows. After neglecting the retardation at $`T\omega _0,u/L`$, the self-interaction term in (12) can be decoupled back by the Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation via the time independent field $`\zeta `$ with the correlator $`D(x)=U_0(x,0)+_x^2U_s(x,0)`$:

$$S\{\mathrm{\Psi },\zeta ;T)=T𝑑x\left(\frac{1}{2m}\left|_x\mathrm{\Psi }\right|^2+\zeta (x)\rho (x)\right)+\frac{1}{2}𝑑x_{1,2}\zeta (x_1)D^1(x_1x_2)\zeta (x_2)$$
(21)
After integration over $`\mathrm{\Psi }`$ and rotation to the real time it becomes finally the DOS expression

$`{\displaystyle D[\zeta (x)]\delta (E[\zeta (x)]\mathrm{\Omega })\mathrm{exp}\left[\frac{1}{2}𝑑x_1𝑑x_2\zeta (x_1)D^1(x_1x_2)\zeta (x_2)\right]}`$Here $`E[\zeta (x)]`$ is the eigenfunction in the random field $`\zeta `$:

$`{\displaystyle \frac{_x^2}{2m}}\mathrm{\Psi }+\zeta \mathrm{\Psi }=E\mathrm{\Psi }.`$For the dispersionless phonon alone, e.g. the amplitude mode in the CDW, $`D(x)=U_0(x,0)\delta (x)`$ and the known exact results for the uncorrelated disorder  provide us with the PG asymptotics

$$I(\mathrm{\Omega })\mathrm{exp}\left[\frac{8}{3^{3/2}}\frac{\left|W_p\right|}{\omega _0}\left|\frac{\mathrm{\Omega }}{W_p}\right|^{3/2}\right].$$
(22)
For the CDW parameters it becomes

$$I(\mathrm{\Omega })\mathrm{exp}\left[\frac{16}{3\pi }\left(2\frac{\mathrm{\Delta }_0\mathrm{\Omega }}{(\mathrm{\Delta }_0\omega _0^2)^{1/3}}\right)^{3/2}\right].$$
(23)
Below we shall concentrate only on a more problematic case of the sound mode. The correlator of the ”disordered potential” $`\zeta `$, $`D(x)`$, is just the mean square of quantum fluctuations of the phonon potential $`\zeta =v_F/2\phi ^{}(x,t)`$ at coinciding times: in the Fourier representation

$`D_k={\displaystyle \frac{d\omega }{2\pi }\frac{\lambda _sk^2}{(\omega /u)^2+k^2}}={\displaystyle \frac{1}{2}}\lambda _su|k|.`$The probability distribution for the Fourier components $`\zeta _k`$ is

$$P[\zeta _k]\mathrm{exp}\left(\frac{dk}{2\pi }\frac{|\zeta _k|^2}{\lambda _su|k|}\right)$$
(24)
which tells us that the component with $`k=0`$ is excluded, $`P(\zeta _0)=0`$. The constraint

$$\zeta _0=_{\mathrm{}}^{\mathrm{}}\zeta (x)𝑑x=0.$$
(25)
agrees with properties of the potential $`\phi ^{}`$ in the time dependent picture of the previous section which obeys the condition (25) at any finite $`t`$, see the Fig.3. Contrary to usual expectations for the method of optimal fluctuations, here the potential well creating the level $`E`$ must be accompanied by compensating barriers. The condition (25) is linked to the paradox noticed in the pervious section: an absence of a finite minimum over the length scale at a given $`T`$. Indeed, now we cannot rely upon an existence of a bound state at arbitrary shallow potential: $`E_0m\left(𝑑x\zeta (x)\right)^2`$ which is zero at the condition (25).

While the divergency at small $`k`$ (large $`x`$) is physical, the one at large $`k`$ in (24) must be regularized to work in the real space. We shall proceed by introducing the auxiliary field $`\mu (x)`$ such that $`\zeta =d\mu /dx=\mu ^{}`$. Finally we arrive at the model of the ”nonlocal acoustic disorder”

$$I(\mathrm{\Omega })D[\mu (x)]\delta (E[_x\mu (x)]\mathrm{\Omega })\mathrm{exp}\left[\frac{\lambda _s}{2u}𝑑x_1𝑑x_2\frac{\left(\mu (x_1)\mu (x_2)\right)^2}{|x_1x_2|^2}\right]$$
(26)
Here the integral in the exponent is already regular at small $`x`$. The divergence at large $`x`$ works to maintain the constraint (25), otherwise $`\mu (+\mathrm{})\mu (\mathrm{})=_{\mathrm{}}^{\mathrm{}}\zeta (x)𝑑x0`$ and the integral in (26) would diverge logarithmically leading to the zero probability.

Unfortunately we are not aware of exact studies for disordered systems with such long range correlations. Usual scaling estimations () for characteristic $`\mu `$ and $`l`$ give us $`|\mathrm{\Omega }|1/(ml^2)|\mu |/l`$ then $`|\mu ||\mathrm{\Omega }/m|^{1/2}`$ hence $`\mathrm{ln}I\mu ^2\lambda _s/u|\mathrm{\Omega }|\lambda _s/u`$ in accordance with direct estimations and the result (20) for the generic time dependent model.

## V Discussion and Conclusions

We summarize the obtained results as follows.

The PG starts below the free edge by (stretched) exponential dependencies

$$I\mathrm{exp}\left[cnst\left(|\mathrm{\Omega }|\right)^\gamma \right]$$
(27)
with different powers $`\gamma =3/2`$ for gapful phonons and $`\gamma =1`$ for sounds. If both modes are present, then the smallest one, with $`\gamma =3/2`$, dominates at small $`\mathrm{\Omega }`$. This regime corresponds to free electronic states smeared by instantaneous uncorrelated quantum fluctuations of the lattice.

Deeply within the PG, approaching the absolute threshold $`W_s`$ or $`W_p`$, the exponential law changes for the power law $`I(\mathrm{\Omega })\left(\mathrm{\Omega }W_s\right)^\beta `$with the big index $`\beta `$. This contribution dominates over the smooth one from gapful modes $`I\mathrm{exp}(cnst\delta \mathrm{\Omega }\mathrm{ln}\delta \mathrm{\Omega })`$. The power regime corresponds to creation of nearly amplitude solitons surmounted be compensating phase tails. Its description provides a quasiclassical interpretation for processes in fully quantum systems of correlated electrons in the spin-gap regime, with the AS being a version of the spinon.

These results are different from anything used earlier both in theoretical discussions and in interpretation of experimental data . They can vaguely explain the unusually wide pseudogaps observed in experiments even at low temperatures for well formed ICDWs.

Our results have been derived for single electronic transitions: PES and tunneling. They can also be applied to intergap (particle-hole) optical transitions as long as semiconductors are concerned. For the ICDW results are applied to the free edge vicinity. But the edge at $`2E_s`$ will disappear in favor of optically active gapless phase mode.

It should be stresses in this respect that there cannot be a common PG  for processes characterized by different time scales. We should distinguish  between short living states observed in optical, PES (and may be tunneling) experiments and long living states (amplitude solitons, phase solitons) contributing to the spin susceptibility, NMR relaxation, heat capacitance, conductivity, etc. States forming the optical PG are created instantaneously; particularly near the free edge they are tested over times which are shorter than the inverse phonon frequencies $`\tau _{opt}\mathrm{}/E_g<\omega _{ph}^1`$ and many orders of magnitude beyond the life times required for current carriers, and even much longer times for thermodynamic contributions. It follows then that the analysis of different groups of experimental data within the same picture  must be reevaluated. The lack of discriminating different time scales concerns also typical discussions of PGs in $`HighT_c`$ superconductors.

We conclude that the subgap absorption in systems with gapless phonons is dominated by formation of long space-time tails of relaxation. It concerns both acoustic polarons in $`1D`$ semiconductors and solitons in CDWs. Near the free edge the simple exponential, Urbach type, law appears competing with stretched exponential ones typical for tails from optimal fluctuations. The deeper part of the PG is dominated by the power law singularity near the absolute edge.

###### Acknowledgements.

S. M. acknowledges the hospitality of the Laboratoire de Physique Theorique et des Modeles Statistiques, Orsay and the support of the CNRS and the ENS - Landau foundation. This work was partly performed within the INTAS grant #2212.

## VI Appendix

Electronic energies in the complex field $`\mathrm{\Delta }`$ are determined by the Dirac Hamiltonian

$`\left|\begin{array}{cc}iv_F_x& \mathrm{\Delta }\\ \mathrm{\Delta }^{}& iv_F_x\end{array}\right|,\mathrm{\Delta }=|\mathrm{\Delta }|e^{i\phi }`$In the ground state $`|\mathrm{\Delta }(x,t)|=\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$, $`\phi =cnst`$ and the electronic spectrum is $`E^2=v_F^2k^2+\mathrm{\Delta }_0^2`$ where $`v_F`$ is the Fermi velocity. But these free states are not proper excitations. The evolution of added electrons or holes with the initial $`E_0\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ to the AS with $`W_s=2/\pi \mathrm{\Delta }_0<\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ can be described by the exact solution for intermediate configurations characterized by the singly occupied arbitrary positioned intragap state $`E_0=\mathrm{\Delta }_0\mathrm{cos}\theta `$ with $`0\theta \pi `$, hence $`\mathrm{\Delta }_0<E_0<\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$. It was found  to be the Chordus Soliton ($`ChS`$) with $`2\theta `$ being the total chiral angle: $`\mathrm{\Delta }(\pm \mathrm{})=\mathrm{exp}(\pm i\theta )`$, see the Fig.1.

Namely,

$$\mathrm{\Delta }_{ChS}(x,\theta )=\mathrm{\Delta }_0(\mathrm{cos}\theta +i\mathrm{sin}\theta \mathrm{tanh}(k_0x))\mathrm{exp}i\phi _0,k_0=\mathrm{\Delta }_0\mathrm{sin}\theta .$$
(28)
with an arbitrary $`\phi _0=cnst`$. The potentials $`V_\nu `$ are known  as (see Fig.2

$`V_\nu (\theta )=\mathrm{\Delta }_0[(\nu {\displaystyle \frac{2}{\pi }}\theta )\mathrm{cos}\theta +{\displaystyle \frac{2}{\pi }}\mathrm{sin}\theta ]`$where $`\nu `$ is the filling number of the intragap state that is $`\nu =0,1`$ for $`j=0,1`$ while $`\nu =2`$ is equivalent to $`j=0`$ for the ground state extended by the two particles $`N=2M+2`$. The term $`V_0(\theta )`$ increases monotonically from $`V_0(0)=0`$ for the $`2M`$ ground state to $`V_0(\pi )=2\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ for the $`2M+2`$ ground state (GS) with two free holes. Apparently there is an opposite dependence for $`V_2(\theta )=V_0(\pi \theta )`$. Thus the total phases slip $`2\theta =02\theta =2\pi `$ realizes the spectral flow across the gap, accompanied also by the flow of particles for $`\nu =2`$ which makes it favorable. The term $`V_1(\theta )=V_1(\pi \theta )`$ is symmetric describing both the particle upon the $`2M`$ GS and the hole upon the $`2M+2`$ GS. Apparently $`V_1(0)=V_1(\pi )=\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ (the degenerate Ground States are: the $`2M`$ one with the additional free electron for $`\theta =0`$ and the $`2M+2`$ one with the additional free hole for $`\theta =\pi `$) while the minimum is $`V_1(\pi /2)=W_s<\mathrm{\Delta }_0`$ where $`W_s=2\mathrm{\Delta }_0/\pi `$ is the AS energy. Thus the stationary state of the system with an odd number of particles, the minimum of $`V_1`$, is the amplitude soliton ($`AS`$) $`\mathrm{\Delta }\mathrm{\Delta }`$ with the midgap state $`E_0=0`$ occupied by the singe electron.

Notice that being the uncharged spin carrier with the topological charge equal unity, the AS is a quasiclassical realization of the spinon in systems with nonretarded attraction of electrons (that is with high, rather than low, phonon frequencies).