Following the Dirac-Frenkel time-dependent variational principle, dynamics of a one-dimensional Holstein polaron is probed by employing the Davydov ${\text{D}}_2$ ansatz with two sets of variational parameters, one for each constituting particle in the exciton-phonon system, and a simplified variant of the Davydov ${\text{D}}_1$ ansatz, also known as the $\tilde{\text{D}}$ ansatz, with an additional set of phonon displacement parameters. A close examination of variational outputs from the two trial states reveals fine details of the polaron structure and intricacies of dynamic exciton-phonon interactions. Superradiance coherence sizes, speeds of exciton-induced phonon wave packets, linear optical absorption, and polaron energy compositions are also included in the study.

• Received 2 November 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.014305