Conjugated polymers in a strong longitudinal electric field

The effect of a strong longitudinal electric field on the dimerization amplitude and the formation energy of solitons is considered by exact diagonalization studies within the self-consistent adiabatic approximation for open chains described by the extended Peierls-Hubbard-model. The interplay of intermediately strong electron-electron (el-el) and electron-lattice (el-ph) interactions as well as the external electric fields are considered. Possible implications for devices based on conjugated polymers which support polarons and bipolarons are suggested.