Cavity-enhanced energy transport in molecular systems

Abstract

Molecules are the building blocks of all of nature’s functional components, serving as the machinery that captures, stores and releases energy or converts it into useful work. However, molecules interact with each other over extremely short distances, which hinders the spread of energy across molecular systems. Conversely, photons are inert, but they are fast and can traverse large distances very efficiently. Using optical resonators, these distinct entities can be mixed with each other, opening a path to new architectures that benefit from both the active nature of molecules and the long-range transport obtained by the coupling with light. In this Review, we present the physics underlying the enhancement of energy transfer and energy transport in molecular systems, and highlight the experimental and theoretical advances in this field over the past decade. Finally, we identify several key questions and theoretical challenges that remain to be resolved via future research.