Enhanced exciton transport in an optical cavity field with spatially varying profile

We explicitly consider the spatial profile of the light field in the study of exciton transport through a one-dimensional molecular aggregate in the cavity. When the scale of the aggregate is comparable with the cavity wavelength, the resultant exciton-photon coupling strength varies with the position of each monomer. Such effect is explicitly included in a quantum master equation describing the dynamics of the excitonic, photonic, and vibrational modes. By investigating the steady-state exciton currents, we show that the strong and spatially varying exciton-photon coupling dominates the exciton transport and significantly enhances the transport efficiency. With suitable intermonomer distance, the delocalized polaronic mode generates more occupation on the acceptor monomer than the bridge monomers and thus makes it a more efficient channel for exciton transfer. The effects of localized vibrations are also investigated, and the vibration-assisted exciton transport is demonstrated with strong exciton-vibration coupling. Our results show that the vibrational modes are not as significant as the spatially varying exciton-photon couplings in affecting the exciton transport.