Exploiting quantum effects for energy storage and spectroscopy

Quantum effects promise to disrupt many technologies, from energy storage to sensing. In this talk, I will present preliminary results towards an organic Dicke quantum battery, consisting of an ensemble of two-level systems embedded within a microcavity. I will report evidence of superextensive charging in a microcavity consisting of two dielectric mirrors enclosing a film of molecular semiconductor molecules dispersed within a polymer matrix, and discuss several approaches for storing the absorbed light energy. I will also show how quantum entanglement can be used to perform ultrafast optical spectroscopy at the lowest possible excitation level by resolving, upon single-photon absorption, excitation energy transfer cascades between light-harvesting complexes in a photosynthetic membrane. These experiments, which are performed without compromising acquisition time, may provide a completely new approach to ultrafast optical spectroscopy, where experiments are performed under conditions comparable to real-world sunlight illumination.