Polaritonic control of blackbody infrared radiative dissociation

Abstract

Vibrational strong light-matter coupling offers a promising approach for controlling chemical reactivity with infrared microcavities. This study explores the dynamics of Blackbody Infrared Radiative Dissociation (BIRD) in microcavities under weak and strong light-matter interaction regimes. Using a Master equation approach, we simulate the effects of infrared field confinement and vibrational strong coupling on BIRD rates for diatomic molecules. We present a framework explaining how infrared microcavities influence BIRD kinetics, highlighting the importance of overtone transitions in the process. Our findings reveal conditions for significant enhancement and mild suppression of radiative dissociation, establishing upper bounds for BIRD rates under weak and strong coupling. These results provide new strategies and limitations for controlling reactive processes with infrared resonators.