Optical Cavities' Effect on Chemical Reactions Explained by Theoretical Physicists
Theoretical physicists have discovered why chemical reactions are slowed down in mirrored cavities, where molecules interact with light. The team used Quantum-Electrodynamical Density-Functional Theory to find that the conditions inside the optical cavity affected the energy that makes atoms vibrate around the molecule’s single bonds, which are critical to the reaction. The team's findings are in agreement with the observations by the group of Thomas Ebbesen in Strasbourg. Manipulating materials through the use of cavities (the so-called ‘polaritonic chemistry‘) is a powerful tool with many potential applications.