Turning light into usable energy

(Press-News.org) Every time a screen flickers to life, or sunlight powers a home, energy is being transferred from light into something useful. Yet for all of its ubiquity, scientists do not fully understand the process by which light transfers energy through materials.

A grant from the U.S. Department of Defense will allow UC Riverside scientists to address that mystery. The research aims to deepen scientific understanding of one of physics’ most complex interactions. 

The four-year, $1 million grant funds a collaborative effort between UCR theoretical chemist Bryan Wong and experimental chemist Yadong Yin. Together, they will investigate plasmonic materials, which can transfer energy when struck by light. Their findings could pave the way for sensors capable of detecting molecules at trace levels and other technologies with defense and civilian applications.

“Even with today’s supercomputers, we still don’t fully understand how a collection of electrons behaves when disturbed by a single pulse of light,” Wong said. “This work is about getting closer to the complexity of how nature really operates. It is always moving, always changing.”

Wong’s lab focuses on developing quantum-mechanical models to simulate the behavior of electrons in excited states, an area known as electron dynamics. Unlike many systems that scientists model at equilibrium, these processes are non-equilibrium, meaning they occur under constantly changing conditions. 

“But almost everything in nature is dynamic. Nearly all chemical, material, and biological processes occur out of equilibrium. So, we’re interested in what happens during those moments of change,” Wong said. 

This research could advance the development of materials that detect the presence of a single molecule and convert that detection into a usable signal, which is something current technologies can’t yet perform. Such precision could benefit fields ranging from national security to medical diagnostics.

Wong, from the Department of Chemistry, brings over a decade of expertise in theoretical modeling to the project. Yin, his partner on the grant, will create new materials in the lab to validate the simulations. The approach reverses the traditional sequence of discovery.

“Usually, we create new materials and then ask theorists to explain their behavior,” Wong said. “This time, we’re starting with theoretical predictions and building materials to match. It’s not the kind of project Dr. Yin usually takes on, which makes it exciting for both of us.”

Beyond scientific goals, the grant also supports workforce development. It includes funding to train several early-career scientists in both computational and experimental research methods. Wong and Yin see this as an opportunity to prepare young researchers for the kinds of complex, interdisciplinary work that modern science demands.

“Part of our mission is to improve research capability by training scientists who can think across boundaries, whether that’s modeling light-induced processes or conducting careful lab experiments,” Wong said. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to train the next generation of scientists and to uncover a deeper understanding of these complicated materials.”

While the grant is grounded in fundamental science, the insights it produces could eventually support practical innovations, from enhanced solar technologies to more efficient catalysis -- the process of speeding up a chemical reaction without the catalyst itself being consumed. And as the researchers push toward a deeper understanding of light-matter interactions, they are also investing in the future of science itself.

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