סמינר בכימיה פיזיקלית: New Platforms for Molecular Polaritonics

Zoom: https://tau-ac-il.zoom.us/j/86298492303

Abstract:

Polaritons are hybrid light-matter states that arise from strong interactions between a molecular ensemble and the confined electromagnetic field of an optical cavity. Cavity-coupled molecules have been observed to undergo thermal reactions and photochemical processes with distinct rates from their free-space counterparts. However, the mechanisms and scope of these phenomena remain poorly understood. Emerging models for polariton chemistry cannot be validated with the current laboratory data, as a large gap exists between the complexity of polaritonic systems being approached experimentally and theoretically. I will discuss the experimental platforms that my lab is developing to investigate the behavior of simple, benchmark molecular systems under cavity strong coupling. I will first touch on our efforts to reach the strong light-matter coupling regime in isolated gas-phase molecules, which we are harnessing as a new testbed for fundamental studies of polariton photophysics and chemistry. I will also discuss our work with ulrafast transient absorption spectroscopy to understand exactly how and when reactive trajectories may be influenced by strong light-matter interactions. We are examining how elementary solution-phase bimolecular reactions proceed under vibrational strong coupling, how excited state lifetimes may be impacted by electronic strong coupling, and how best to interpret the nonlinear spectral signatures of intracavity molecules.

מארגן הסמינר: פרופ' יורם זלצר