The effect of energy level degeneracy on symmetry-breaking charge transfer: Excited octupolar dyes.

A three-level model of symmetry-breaking charge transfer (SBCT) in excited octupolar molecules is developed. The model describes the joint dynamics of the solvent and the dye in the excited state. For this, a distribution function in the space of two reaction coordinates is introduced. An evolution equation of this function is derived. A strict definition of the reaction coordinates is given, and its dynamic characteristics are determined. The free energy surface in the space of these coordinates is calculated. To quantify the symmetry-breaking degree, a two-dimensional dissymmetry vector is introduced. The model predicts the absence of SBCT in apolar solvents and an abrupt increase in its degree to half the maximum value in weakly polar solvents. The dye dipole moment is revealed to be directed along a molecular arm independently of the direction and the strength of the electric field of the solvent created by its orientational polarization. The conditions for the occurrence and nature of this effect are discussed. The effect of the degeneracy of excited states, which is inherent in octupolar dyes in the excited state, on SBCT is revealed. Degeneracy of energy levels is shown to lead to a significant increase in the symmetry-breaking degree. The effect of SBCT on the dependence of the Stokes on the solvent polarity is calculated and compared with the available experimental data.