An image depicting the science described in the caption.

(a) One-dimensional microcavity of length L containing N molecules. (b) Sketch of the energy configuration of the cavity modes (red sine functions) and the molecules (blue circles, Ej distributed around EM with Gaussian width σ). The molecules are coupled with strength gjk to the photonic modes, such that excitations can be transported via photons.

Image courtesy of the researchers.

Cao Paper Published in Physical Review Letters

by Danielle Doughty | Department of Chemistry |
Categories: Faculty, Research

The paper, "Polariton Localization and Dispersion Properties of Disordered Quantum Emitters in Multimode Microcavities", was published on May 24, 2023.

A paper authored by Georg Engelhardt and Professor Jianshu Cao was recently published in Physical Review Letters.

Polariton Localization and Dispersion Properties of Disordered Quantum Emitters in Multimode Microcavities
Georg Engelhardt and Jianshu Cao
Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 213602 – Published 24 May 2023
DOI :https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.213602

Large-scale energy applications of organic photovoltaic cells are hampered by the slow energy diffusion and short diffusion length. A promising solution is the emerging platform of optical cavities, where transport in organic semiconductors can be enhanced by orders of magnitude. In this study, the strong interaction between a photon (i.e., light) and a matter excitation creates light-matter hybrid particles, called ‘cavity polaritons’.  These hybrid particles move with light and can overcome the detrimental effects of static disorder intrinsic in organic molecules, thus providing exciting opportunities for manipulating the properties of energy materials. This paper is part of on-going efforts in the Cao group to study strong light-matter interactions.