G. Kopidakis

Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete

We briefly review nonlinearity-induced localization in models that describe interatomic interactions. We discuss how the concept of discrete breather or intrinsic localized mode could become an important tool for understanding nanoscale energy localization phenomena in molecules and solids. A particularly attractive field of application for nonlinear localized excitations is the controlled and directed transport of energy. We discuss the targeted transfer of these excitations based on the concept of nonlinear resonance and potential applications in biomolecules. As an example, we present low temperature ultrafast electron transfer in photosynthetic reaction centers.