Light-Matter Hybrid Chemistry Lab
Dr. Kalaivanan Nagarajan
Chemistry under Light-Matter Strong Coupling
Molecules exhibit modified chemical and material properties under light-matter strong coupling, due to the formation of polaritonic states. Exploring the potential application of this phenomena in different fields of chemistry.
Light-Matter Strong Coupling: This exciting field is at the interface of quantum electrodynamics and molecular science. In the so-called strong coupling regime, hybrid light-matter states, known as polaritonic states, are formed by the interaction of a molecular transition with the electromagnetic field of an optical cavity. Importantly, the hybridization occurs even in the dark because the coupling process involves the zero-point fluctuations of the optical field (a.k.a. vacuum field) and the molecular transition. In other words, unlike photochemistry, no real photon is required in the strong coupling process. Nevertheless, the physical and chemical properties of the molecules and materials can be completely modified in this regime, as it has been demonstrated over the past decade.
Vibrational Strong Coupling: Excitingly, when the vibrational transition of a molecule is coupled with the optical modes (VSC), the newly formed vibro-polaritons (VP) leads to surprisingly large modifications in the ground state potential energy surface as can be seen in the reactions studied in this regime. VSC found to show modified selectivity in chemical reactions and different aggregation properties of the molecules/materials.
