The cutting-edge project aims to harness quantum light to unlock new chemical processes.
The W. M. Keck Foundation has awarded the University of Rochester a $1.3 million grant for research at the forefront of how light and matter interact. The project, titled "Quantum Electrodynamics for Selective Transformations," aims to create new chemistry using quantum light. The ambitious project has the potential to unlock new opportunities for chemical and material synthesis.
"We are thrilled to receive support from the W. M. Keck Foundation that will allow us to pursue high-risk, high-reward research that we hope will open up new frontiers at the intersection of chemistry, photonics, and quantum science," says Todd Krauss, the Jay Last Professor in Arts, Sciences & Engineering in the Department of Chemistry and the Institute of Optics.
Krauss leads a team of researchers that includes Pengfei "Frank" Huo, the Dean and Laura Marvin Endowed Professor in Physical Chemistry and an associate professor of optics; Dan Weix at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (and former faculty member at URochester), and Rachel Bangle at North Carolina A&T State University.
"The work of Professor Krauss and his team is an example of Rochester's long tradition of working across cutting-edge disciplines to advance science and improve our understanding of the physical world," says University President Sarah Mangelsdorf. "We're grateful for the support of the W. M. Keck Foundation in recognizing the enormous potential in this research."
Using quantum light to create new chemistry
A grand challenge in the field of chemistry is controlling chemical bond formation at any stage in a reaction.
Chemistry is governed by an established set of rules that dictate how simple molecules react with each other to form new, more complex molecules. These rules are related to how electrons are distributed in the molecules and underpin the field of synthetic chemistry. The constraints imposed by these rules have a direct impact on society because they can limit access to potential new drugs or materials. In the past, chemists have used temperature, pressure, light, and other ways to control and perform chemistry.
For the newly funded project, URochester researchers and their colleagues at other institutions seek to discover if it is possible to use the quantum light of an optical cavity to bend or break these fundamental rules of reactivity by changing how electrons are distributed. To test the idea, researchers will couple light inside an optical cavity to the electronic states of molecules, forming a hybrid light-matter state called an electron-polariton.
While polariton chemistry has the potential to alter the fundamental rules of chemical reactivity, verifying this new concept experimentally has been challenging because of the varied expertise required. To overcome that hurdle, Krauss has assembled just such a diverse team, including synthetic organic chemists, materials scientists, spectroscopists, and theoreticians, who will work to help establish this new field of research.
Krauss notes, "It isn't often that one has the chance to discover a new set of rules that govern the makeup of matter in the universe."
About the Keck Foundation
The W. M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 in Los Angeles by William Myron Keck, founder of The Superior Oil Company. One of the nation's largest philanthropic organizations, the W. M. Keck Foundation supports outstanding science, engineering, and medical research. The foundation also supports undergraduate education and maintains a program within Southern California to support arts and culture, education, health, and community service projects.
