  Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are known to be highly
sensitive to externally applied tensile or compressive strain. In particular,
strain can be exploited as a tool to control the optical response of TMDs.
However, the role of excitonic effects under strain has not been fully
understood yet. Utilizing the strain-induced modification of electron and
phonon dispersion obtained by first principle calculations, we present in this
work microscopic insights into the strain-dependent optical response of various
TMD materials. In particular, we explain recent experiments on the change of
excitonic linewidths in strained TMDs and predict their behavior for tensile
and compressive strain at low temperatures.
