Phys.org  May 12, 2022 Coupling between molecules and vacuum photon fields inside an optical cavity has proven to be an effective way to engineer molecular properties, in particular reactivity. An international team of researchers (Norway, Italy) studied optical cavities and how the light trapped in them interacts with atoms, molecules, and other particles. Their framework explained modifications of the electronic structure due to the interaction with the photon field. They showed that the newly developed orbital theory could be used to predict cavity induced modifications of molecular reactivity and pinpoint classes of systems with significant cavity effects. They also investigated […]