Atypical vibrational interactions

Chemical Physics Vibrational energy transfer (VET) between solute molecules is generally unfavorable in liquids because of weak intermolecular forces. Xiang et al. measured the two-dimensional infrared spectrum of a molecular mixture, W(CO)6 and W(13CO)6, with saturated concentrations in a binary solvent embedded in an optical microcavity. This experiment showed that the VET between the asymmetric stretch vibrations of two solute molecules is enhanced via polaritonic intermediate states formed by a strong coupling with the cavity mode. The efficiency is modulated by the cavity lifetime, which provides an opportunity to control the VET process in the liquid phase. This could lead to various practical implementations. Science , this issue p. [665][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aba3544