Optical properties of small polarons from dynamical mean-field theory

The optical properties of polarons are studied in the framework of the Holstein model by applying the dynamical mean-field theory. This approach allows to enlighten important quantitative and qualitative deviations from the limiting treatments of small polaron theory, that should be considered when interpreting experimental data. In the antiadiabatic regime, accounting on the same footing for a finite phonon frequency and a finite electron bandwidth allows to address the evolution of the optical absorption away from the well-understood molecular limit. It is shown that the width of the multiphonon peaks in the optical spectra depends on the temperature and on the frequency in a way that contradicts the commonly accepted results, most notably in the strong coupling case. In the adiabatic regime, on the other hand, the present method allows to identify a wide range of parameters of experimental interest, where the electron bandwidth is comparable or larger tha...