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UID:20260319T081629EDT-2908zIFrfm@132.216.98.100
DTSTAMP:20260319T121629Z
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \n\nPolaritons are increasingly touted as a promising
  tool to ‘rewrite’ the functional behavior of molecular systems. Polariton
 s are mixed states formed from the hybridization of molecular transition d
 ipoles with a confined electromagnetic field. Originally the purview of ul
 tra-cold physics\, when this concept is applied to molecular vibrational o
 r electronic absorption transitions polaritons can be attained at room tem
 perature. Studies over the last decade have revealed a host of weird and w
 onderful effects that result\, from enhanced energy transport and charge c
 arrier mobility to changes in the selectivity of chemical reactions – all 
 by simply enclosing the materials between a pair of mirrors. Yet\, while t
 he field has become better and better at identifying exciting polaritonic 
 phenomena\, we lack a fundamental understanding of their underlying mechan
 isms. The temptation is strong to explain their exotic behavior in terms o
 f the bright\, strongly coupled states that we can easily observe. However
 \, the bright polariton states are not alone. When we peer into optical ca
 vities with ultrafast spectroscopy\, we see that they are accompanied by a
  host of dark states that can dominate the photophysical response. An impr
 oved model\, then\, frames their photophysics in terms of an interplay bet
 ween bright and dark states. But to make matters worse\, we find that most
  systems studied today don’t even fit this neat bright-dark dichotomy. The
  ‘grey’ states in these materials mix the properties of both manifolds\, w
 hether due to disorder or higher-order state couplings that are frequently
  overlooked. Our results from simple molecular dimers to complex thin-film
  microcavities force us to reevaluate our basic pictures of molecular phot
 ophysics and present new opportunities for materials design\, from the opt
 ical generation of entangled spins to polaritonic structures with orders-o
 f-magnitude enhanced donor-acceptor transfer.\n\n \n\nBio:\n\nAndrew origi
 nally trained as a physicist (Georgia Tech\, 2006) with an eye towards sol
 ving global problems. Not infrequently accused of being a spy\, he spent t
 wo years working and studying in Russia and tried his hand at organic synt
 hesis at the Max-Planck Institute in Mainz\, Germany\, and genetic enginee
 ring at the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre in the UK. He fully ret
 urned to science in 2008\, enrolling in the Nanoscience master’s programme
  at the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials\, where he worked with Pr
 of. Andreas Herrmann on the synthesis and characterisation of DNA-organic 
 hybrid materials for drug delivery\, sensing\, and bioelectronics. Equippe
 d with this understanding of how to design and make functional materials\,
  Andrew turned to the main task for his PhD: saving the world with green e
 nergy (pending). In 2010 he joined the Optoelectronics group at the Cavend
 ish Laboratory (Cambridge\, UK)\, under Prof. Sir Richard Friend. Working 
 in the laser lab during his PhD and a subsequent postdoc\, he used ultrafa
 st spectroscopy to unravel the mechanism of singlet fission – this 2-for-1
  deal for charge carrier generation has the potential to revolutionise the
  solar energy sector if we can just work out how to harness it. In 2016 An
 drew moved to the University of Sheffield Department of Physics for a post
 doc with Prof. David Lidzey to study organic exciton-polaritons and their 
 impact on molecular spin physics.\n\nIn summer 2019 Andrew finally found h
 is natural home as a physical chemist\, joining the faculty of the Departm
 ent of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell. His group weaves togethe
 r the many strands of his past research\, exploiting light-matter interact
 ions in complex materials with an emphasis on organic exciton-polaritons\,
  ultrafast vibronic dynamics\, and electron-primed photocatalysis. His wor
 k has been recognized with a DOE Early Career Award and a Sloan Research F
 oundation Fellowship.\n
DTSTART:20260331T170000Z
DTEND:20260331T183000Z
LOCATION:OM 10\, Maass Chemistry Building\, CA\, QC\, Montreal\, H3A 0B8\, 
 801 rue Sherbrooke Ouest
SUMMARY:ɬÀï·¬ Chemical Society Seminar Series- Andrew Musser: Embrace the 
 darkness: From singlet fission to exciton-polaritons 
URL:/oss/channels/event/mcgill-chemical-society-semina
 r-series-andrew-musser-embrace-darkness-singlet-fission-exciton-371842
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