Optical Cavity Design and Functionality for Molecular Strong Coupling

Abstract

AbstractOptical cavity/molecule strong coupling offers attractive opportunities to modulate photochemical or photophysical processes. When atoms or molecules are placed in an optical cavity, they can coherently exchange photonic energy with optical cavity vacuum fields, entering the strong coupling interaction regime. Recent work suggests that the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of molecules can be significantly changed by strong coupling, resulting in the emergence of intriguing photochemical and photophysical phenomena. As more and more physico‐chemical systems are studied under strong coupling conditions, optical cavities have also advanced in their sophistication, responsiveness, and (multi)functionality. In this review, we highlight some of these recent developments, particularly focusing on Fabry–Perot microcavities.