Marissa Weichman
Princeton University · Chemistry
Active 2007–2026
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About
Marissa Weichman is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University. Her research focuses on using fundamental chemical physics and spectroscopy to probe the detailed behavior of complex chemical systems and develop new methods to steer molecular processes using light. Her lab aims to control molecular processes through strong light-matter interactions, particularly in the emerging field of polariton chemistry, which involves harnessing strong coupling in optical cavities to alter chemical reactions. She is establishing experimental work to validate theories of cavity-modified chemistry by employing ultrafast and high-resolution spectroscopy to track the dynamical trajectories of molecular processes under strong coupling. Additionally, her work includes precision spectroscopy of large molecules, which is crucial for molecular fingerprinting in complex environments and for applications in quantum information science. She develops advanced spectroscopic tools such as cavity-enhanced frequency comb spectroscopy to study astrochemical species and large molecules, establishing new records in molecular size and complexity that can be examined with quantum state resolution. Her research also extends to atmospheric aerosol science, where she advances laboratory spectroscopies to understand how aerosols scatter and absorb light and nucleate cloud droplets, thereby contributing to climate modeling and understanding climate change impacts. Her contributions have been…
Research topics
- Chemistry
- Atomic physics
- Materials science
- Physics
- Chemical physics
Selected publications
Rovibrational Polaritons in Gas-Phase Methane
Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2023-03-03 · 69 citations
articleSenior authorCorrespondingPolaritonic states arise when a bright optical transition of a molecular ensemble is resonantly matched to an optical cavity mode frequency. Here, we lay the groundwork to study the behavior of polaritons in clean, isolated systems by establishing a new platform for vibrational strong coupling in gas-phase molecules. We access the strong coupling regime in an intracavity cryogenic buffer gas cell optimized for the preparation of simultaneously cold and dense ensembles and report a proof-of-princ…
Ultrafast dynamics of CN radical reactions with chloroform solvent under vibrational strong coupling
The Journal of Chemical Physics · 2023-10-23 · 39 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorPolariton chemistry may provide a new means to control molecular reactivity, permitting remote, reversible modification of reaction energetics, kinetics, and product yields. A considerable body of experimental and theoretical work has already demonstrated that strong coupling between a molecular vibrational mode and the confined electromagnetic field of an optical cavity can alter chemical reactivity without external illumination. However, the mechanisms underlying cavity-altered chemistry remai…
Nanophotonics · 2024-01-25 · 34 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorCorrespondingAbstract Molecular polaritons, hybrid light‐matter states resulting from strong cavity coupling of optical transitions, may provide a new route to guide chemical reactions. However, demonstrations of cavity‐modified reactivity in clean benchmark systems are still needed to clarify the mechanisms and scope of polariton chemistry. Here, we use transient absorption to observe the ultrafast dynamics of CN radicals interacting with a cyclohexane ( c ‐C 6 H 12 ) and chloroform (CHCl 3 ) solvent mixtur…
When do molecular polaritons behave like optical filters?
Chemical Society Reviews · 2025-01-01 · 26 citations
reviewOpen access, hybrid light-matter states) and those that can occur in the weak coupling regime. We further discuss that certain quantum optical effects like fluorescence can be partially described as optical filtering, whereas some others like cavity-induced Raman scattering go beyond this. Further exploration in these areas is needed to uncover novel polaritonic phenomena beyond optical filtering.
A versatile platform for gas-phase molecular polaritonics
The Journal of Chemical Physics · 2023-10-25 · 23 citations
articleSenior authorCorrespondingCavity coupling of gas-phase molecules will enable studies of benchmark chemical processes under strong light-matter interactions with a high level of experimental control and no solvent effects. We recently demonstrated the formation of gas-phase molecular polaritons by strongly coupling bright ν3, J = 3 → 4 rovibrational transitions of methane (CH4) to a Fabry-Pérot optical cavity mode inside a cryogenic buffer gas cell. Here, we further explore the flexible capabilities of this infrastructure…
Recent grants
Frequent coauthors
- 93 shared
Daniel M. Neumark
University of California, Berkeley
- 51 shared
P. Bryan Changala
Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian
- 29 shared
Jongjin B. Kim
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
- 29 shared
Jessalyn A. DeVine
University of Göttingen
- 27 shared
Jun Ye
University of Colorado Boulder
- 27 shared
Mark Babin
- 16 shared
Kana Iwakuni
University of Electro-Communications
- 15 shared
Kevin Lee
USA Mitchell Cancer Institute
Labs
Weichman LabPI
Education
- 2017
Ph.D., Chemistry
University of California Berkeley
- 2012
B.S., Chemistry
California Institute of Technology
Awards & honors
- Cottrell Scholar Award 2025
- Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers…
- Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering 2023
- NSF CAREER 2023
- DOE Early Career Award 2022
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