About us!

In our lab, we explore the properties of molecules and materials consisting of "light-matter hybrid states." We achieve the light-matter hybrid states by placing molecules/materials in Fabry-Perot cavities or substrates that can confine electromagnetic field. The half-light, half-matter character of the hybrid states can lead to interesting new molecule chemistry and physics. For instance, such quantum light-matter interaction can convert insulator polymers to good electrical conductors, suppress intermolecular interaction, etc. We combine molecular synthesis, nanofabrication, and spectroscopic techniques to understand the fundamentals of strongly coupled molecules to build ​ next-generation devices based on quantum light-matter interactions.

News!

• In our latest paper published in Nature Communications we show that electronic strong coupling can modify ground-state intermolecular interactions. Manuscript Link. Organic chromophores often self-assemble during device fabrication due to intermolecular interactions that can change their light-emitting characteristics. Our latest results show that electronic strong coupling modifies the ground state intermolecular interactions and subsequent emission properties without tweaking their chemical structure.
  

• Mr. Subha Biswas has received the Nature Photonics Best Paper Award at "The 11th International Conference on Surface Plasmon Photonics - SPP11" held in Tokyo, Japan (19- 23rd May 2025). Congratulations Subha Biswas.

• Ms.Kavya S Mony has been invited to give a talk at SCOM5 Strong Coupling with Organic Molecules 2025 conference happening at  University of Southern Denmark, Odense.

• We have become "younger" with more summer interns in our lab: Jisna James (SH college, Thevara) , Angelin Ros Jaison (CUSAT), Khushi Purohit (IISER-Pune), Kumaraswamy E (IISc Bangalore), Debangshu Laha (IIT-Bombay), Nandana K K (IISER-Mohali), Ann Lia Sam (NISER-Bhubaneswar), and Joquin Rosalind V (NISER-Bhubaneswar) . We welcome you all.

• Congratulations to Adhwithi (summer project student from Cochin University of Science and Technology) for obtaining a Ph.D. position at ​the University of Sydney.

Selected Publications

Electronic strong coupling modifies the ground-state intermolecular interactions in self-assembled chlorin molecules

Subha​ Biswas et al.

Nat. Commun. 2025, 16, 5115

Extra Ordinary Electrical conductance through Amorphous Nonconducting Polymers under Vibrational Strong Coupling

Sunil Kumar and Subha Biswas et al.

J. Am. Chem. Soc.2024, 146, 28, 18999–19008

Tilting a ground-state reactivity landscape by vibrational strong coupling

Anoop Thomas et al.

Science 2019, 363,615-619.

Chemistry under Vibrational Strong Coupling

Anoop Thomas et al.

J. Am. Chem. Soc.2021, 143, 16877-16889.

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