In this article, I present an accessible overview of the topics covered in my MTA doctoral dissertation titled „Molecules in strong external fields”.
The work is divided into two major areas: the behavior of molecules in intense laser fields and the emerging field of polaritonic chemistry, where molecules interact strongly with quantized light inside microscopic optical cavities.
I discuss how modern laser technology allows us to study molecular processes on femtosecond and attosecond timescales and under electric fields comparable to those that bind molecules together. Such conditions give rise to a rich variety of phenomena, including laser-induced molecular alignment and orientation, light-dressed molecular states, high-harmonic generation, and laser-driven fragmentation. My research has contributed to the development of theoretical models and computational tools for simulating these processes, helping to understand how laser parameters influence molecular dynamics and spectroscopy.
A second major focus of my work is polaritonic chemistry. In optical cavities, molecules can couple strongly to confined quantum light, creating hybrid light–matter states known as polaritons. These states can alter molecular properties, reaction pathways, and spectroscopic signatures. I describe theoretical advances that my collaborators and I developed to model rovibrational and electronic polaritons, investigate nonadiabatic effects, and understand the role of collective phenomena and quantum statistics in these systems.
Overall, my goal is to demonstrate that strong light–matter interactions involving molecules form a very rich, highly interdisciplinary, and rapidly developing research area at the intersection of chemistry, physics, spectroscopy, and quantum science. These studies not only deepen our understanding of molecular behavior but also open new possibilities for controlling chemical processes and designing future photonic and quantum technologies.