Tuesday, October 4, 2022 - 3:30pm

Abstract: Molecular vibrational polaritons are hybrid half-light, half-matter quasiparticle under vibrational strong coupling. These hybrid quasiparticles not only inherit properties of both photons and matter, but also processes unique new photonic and molecular phenomena, including tilting chemical potential landscapes of reactions, adding new energy transfer pathways and strong photonic interactions. Many of these developments hinge on the fundamental understanding of the physical properties of molecular vibrational polaritons. Pump-probe and 2D IR spectroscopy provide unique insights to this emerging research area by resolving the dynamics of various states. In this talk, I will first cover the concept of vibrational strong coupling and the current understanding of polaritonic 2D IR spectra. Then I will discuss how polariton could influence inter and intramolecular interactions, including energy transfer between molecules and barrier crossing events. Lastly, I will show some exciting opportunities of using vibrational polaritons as quantum bits for quantum information technology, including coherent transfer among polaritons and confinement effects in polaritons, visualized by 2D IR imaging technique.

Speaker: 

Wei Xiong

Institution: 

UCSD

Location: 

RH 104