Breakdown of topological protection by cavity vacuum fields in the integer quantum Hall effect.

The prospect of controlling the electronic properties of materials via the vacuum fields of cavity electromagnetic resonators is emerging as one of the frontiers of condensed matter physics. We found that the enhancement of vacuum field fluctuations in subwavelength split-ring resonators strongly affects one of the most paradigmatic quantum protectorates, the quantum Hall electron transport in high-mobility two-dimensional electron gases. The observed breakdown of the topological protection of the integer quantum Hall effect is interpreted in terms of a long-range cavity-mediated electron hopping where the anti-resonant terms of the light-matter coupling Hamiltonian develop into a finite resistivity induced by the vacuum fluctuations.

Supramolecular Assembly of Conjugated Polymers under Vibrational Strong Coupling.

Strong coupling plays a significant role in influencing chemical reactions and tuning material properties by modifying the energy landscapes of the systems. Here we study the effect of vibrational strong coupling (VSC) on supramolecular organization. For this purpose, a rigid-rod conjugated polymer known to form gels was strongly coupled together with its solvent in a microfluidic IR Fabry-Perot cavity.