For research on electromagnetic impacts in molecular systems under strong light-matter coupling.

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the results of the 2024 ERC Synergy Grant Call. Among the funded projects is an international collaboration, coordinated by Tel Aviv University researchers and titled “Unravelling the Mysteries of Vibrational Strong Coupling” (UNMYST). The prestigious ERC Synergy grants are awarded to leading researchers in their fields across all areas of science, and it is intended to promote groundbreaking interdisciplinary research.

The UNMYST project is an international collaboration between leading experimental and theoretical groups, including Dr. Tal Schwartz and Prof. Sharly Fleisher from the School of Chemistry at Tel Aviv University, Prof. Abraham Nitzan, an emeritus of the School of Chemistry at Tel Aviv University and a Donner Professor of Physical Sciences in University of Pennsylvania, Prof. Thomas Ebbesen and Cyriaque Genet from the University of Strasbourg, France, Prof. Angel Rubio and Dr. Michael Ruggenthaler from the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Germany, and Dr. Dominik Sidler from the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland.

According to the project coordinator Dr. Tal Schwartz, the UNMYST project will explore how tailoring the electromagnetic environment influences chemical and physical processes in molecular systems in the so-called “strong light-matter coupling” regime. The researchers anticipate that the results of the project will establish fundamental insights into such novel phenomena, which will lead to future breakthroughs with far-reaching implications for chemistry and materials sciences.