  We investigate theoretically a semiconductor quantum wire under the effect of
an intense off-resonant cw laser. We show that in the regime of strong
exciton-phonon coupling the light-dressed ground state of the wire reveals
symmetry-breaking features, leading to local lattice deformations. Due to the
off-resonant nature of the excitation, the deformations are reversible and
controllable by the intensity and frequency of the laser. We calculate the
light-induced strain forces on the lattice in the case of an organic quantum
wire.
