Symposium QT09—Light-Matter Strong Coupling in the Infrared and THz—Materials, Methods and New Phenomena

This symposium addresses the reinvigorated topic of strong coupling between light and matter in the infrared and THz spectral ranges (frequency range 1-300 THz), including the emergence of novel quantum interactions. In the strong coupling regime, two or more modes coherently interact and exchange energy at a rate much faster than the energy decay in either material. Under these conditions, the modes take on a hybrid character with properties and information shared between the constituent components. Thus, strong coupling can enable one system to adopt the beneficial properties of another. As such, strong coupling promises advances in quantum optics, control of chemical and biological reaction pathways, and, tailoring of emission properties of infrared emitters.

Strong coupling has been demonstrated in a wide range of materials (including two-dimensional materials, metamaterials, and biological and molecular systems). At its heart, strong coupling relies heavily upon the material properties that can couple to light, and thus investigations of strong coupling require the development of a concerted materials-centric understanding of light-matter interactions. Currently, however, strong coupling phenomena are viewed as interesting phenomenon observed within a variety of research fields, limiting cross-pollination of ideas and concepts between different research communities. It is the intent of this symposium to bring together leaders in strong coupling research across research disciplines. We hope a unified approach will allow us to advance our fundamental understanding of the transition from weak to ultra-strong coupling and from classical to quantum behavior, among other topics.

• Spectroscopic techniques for observation of strong coupling in the infrared
• Vibrational strong coupling
• Polariton-phonon strong coupling
• Exciton polaritons
• Nonlinear spectroscopy of strongly coupled systems
• Strong coupling for biological, biochemical and molecular systems
• Ultrafast spectroscopy of strong coupling aspects in chemistry
• Novel material systems for strong coupling

• Claudia Climent (Universsidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain)
• Simone De Liberato (University of Southampton, United Kingdom)
• Hui Deng (University of Michigan, USA)
• Felipe Herrera (Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile)
• Vinod Menon (The City University of New York, USA)
• Sang-Hyun Oh (University of Minnesota, USA)
• Meera Parish (Monash University, Australia)
• Stephanie Reich (Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany)
• Blake Simpkins (U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, USA)
• Joel Yuen-Zhou (University of California, San Diego, USA)