摘要:
Harnessing strong light-matter interactions between molecular/material excitations and
confined electromagnetic fields opens up new opportunities to manipulate chemical
reactivity and charge transport at the microscopic level. Recent reports demonstrate
that, as electronic or vibrational excitations of a molecular ensemble are strongly
coupled with photon modes (for example near a plasmonic nanoparticle or within a
microcavity), collective, delocalized excitations among molecules lead to intriguing
phenomena that are fundamentally distinct from conventional photoexcitation. However,
significant discrepancies between theoretical predictions and experimental observations
often stem from the neglect of molecular disorder and photon decoherence. While the
consensus is that these effects are detrimental to collective excitation, our recent
studies reveal a more complicated interplay. In this talk, I will discuss our recent efforts
to account for these interplay in molecular ensembles and outline our plans to develop a
theoretical framework for simulating collective excitations in materials.

講者介紹:
Hsing-Ta (Theta) Chen is currently an assistant professor in the Department of
Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame. He obtained PhD in
Chemical Physics at Columbia University and postdoctoral training at the University of
Pennsylvania. His research focuses on developing theoretical methods and applying
simulation techniques to investigate quantum dynamical processes in complex
environments, ranging from non-adiabatic molecular dynamics in the condensed phase,
to semiclassical treatments for strong light-matter interactions, to electron transport
mechanisms in nanomaterials.