| Details: |
Plasmon can drive chemical reactions, what quantum entanglement can do for molecules? This
talk addresses these points.
Metal nanoparticles absorb light efficiently across the entire visible spectrum showing
a unique ability to harvest solar energy. The resonant excitation of surface plasmons enables
enhanced photo-excitation that leads to the creation of highly excited electron-hole pairs. The
generated electron-hole pairs subsequently can undergo scattering processes to become hot
carriers that provide an elevated electronic temperature in the nanoparticle as compared to the
lattice temperature. Hot carriers, heat, and the plasmonic electromagnetic field may all be used
to catalyze chemical reactions for the reactants that are close to the surface of plasmonic
nanoparticles. This process is especially efficient when the particles are excited at a wavelength
where plasmon excitation can occur, leading to what is called plasmon-driven chemistry. In
the first part of this talk, I will demonstrate plasmon-driven dissociation processes for CO2,
H2O, and H2 molecules on the surface of Au and Ag nanoparticles.
Harnessing quantum entanglement promises revolutionary opportunities not only in
quantum information but also in new paradigms and tools for spectroscopy and sensing to gain
insights into a new quantum domain that are not accessible with existing tools. In this talk, I
will discuss the growing field of entangled-photon spectroscopy in relation to molecular
systems. An important question is whether multiphoton absorption of entangled photons offers
ways to obtain unique information about chemical and biological processes. To this end, I will
provide insights into the interaction of non-classical entangled light with organic molecules
using a recently devolved theory in association with the experiments. |