Reversible triplet energy hopping in photo-excited molecules: A two-site model for the spin polarization

The effect of reversible energy hopping between different local environments on the properties of spin-polarized excited states is investigated theoretically using a two-site model. The kinetic equations for the populations of the spin sublevels of the excited state are derived and then used to obtain analytical expressions for the evolution of the spin polarization of excited triplet states under specific conditions. The time dependence of the triplet state polarization patterns is also obtained by numerical solution of the kinetic equations. It is shown that the reversible energy hopping can lead to significant changes in the properties of the triplet state, including changes in the shape of the observed spectrum and, in some cases, the inversion of the sign of the polarization, the generation of the net polarization, and anisotropic spin-lattice relaxation. The relations between the parameters that can be observed experimentally by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and the kinetic and dynamic parameters of the system are discussed.