Events

January 1, 2021 at 6:45 pm

Physics Colloquium | Cancelled Due to Widespread Power Outage Rescheduled for Feb. 19, Jan. 22

The Physics & Astronomy Colloquium Series presents Prashant K. Jain of University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign on “Special Relativity and Optical Control of Chemistry,” on Friday, Jan. 22, at 4:10 p.m. at an Online Departmental Colloquium.

Abstract: In recent years, it has been found that the optical excitation of plasmonic nanostructures can drive chemical reactions.  Our lab has come across such phenomena on gold nanostructures, most strikingly the optically induced conversion of CO2 to hydrocarbon fuels. I will describe how special relativistic effects as manifested in the electronic structure of gold are at the heart of this novel photochemistry.  I will also discuss the photophysics of carrier harvesting from a plasmonic nanoparticle, which appear to follow general principles.

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