Ultrafast Vibrational Dynamics for Molecular Polariton Chemistry*

Molecular vibrational polaritons are hybrid half-light, half-matter quasiparticles. Because of their hybrid photon-matter characters, it has been shown that polaritons can modify molecular potential enrgy landscapes and therefore chemical reactions. Using pump-probe and 2D IR spectroscopy to study vibrational-polaritons, we learned interesting dynamics that shed light to polariton chemistry.

In this talk, I will briefly introduce the principles of using pump probe and 2D IR spectroscopy to follow polariton dynamics, and overview a few ultrafast phenomena of molecular vibrational-polaritons due to their hybridized nature: 1.  Cavity-enabled intermolecular energy transfer,  2. Polariton accelerated barrier crossing events, 3. Polariton coherence delocalization in spaces. These results will have significant implications in new polariton chemistry and polariton based quantum technologies.