Our research involves theoretical studies of single molecule spectroscopy at low temperatures, energy and electron transfer and relaxation in molecular aggregates, and the optical and electronic properties of conjugated oligomers and polymers and the transport of charge in organic systems.

In the first area, work is ongoing on how to interpret the spectroscopy of a single molecule or aggregate of molecules in a low temperature condensed phase. We make predictions about the time dependence of the spectrum due to fluctuations in the surrounding environment. In the area of energy and electron transfer and relaxation in molecular aggregates, our work is concerned with the dynamics of excitations in aggregates and the associated optical properties. The effects of disorder, impurities and temperature are considered. We work closely with experimenters in these areas to interpret their results.

The electronic structure and optical properties of conjugated polymers in condensed phases are strongly dependent on the geometry of the polymer and on the environment of the polymer. We are currently interested in the effects of interchain interactions on the optical spectrum, charge transport and the nonlinear optical susceptibilities of these polymers.

Electrodynamics of Amorphous Media at Low Temperatures, V. Lubchenko, P. Wolynes and R.J. Silbey, Mol. Phys. 104, 1325 (2006)

Coherence in the B800 Ring of Purple Bacteria LH2, Y. C. Cheng and R. J. Silbey, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 028103 (2006)

Ordering of Limits in the Jarzynski Equality, S. Pressé and R. Silbey, J. Chem. Phys. 124, 054117 (2006)

Anomalous temperature-isotope dependence in proton-coupled electron transfer, S.Pressé and R. Silbey, J. Chem. Phys. 124,  164504 (2006)

Utilizing the Information Content in two-state trajectories, O. Flomenbom and R. J. Silbey, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 103 10907-10910 (2006)

Memory effects on the convergence properties of the Jarzynski equality, S.Pressé and R. Silbey, Phys. Rev. E 74, 061105 (2006)

Comment on “Path Summation Formulation of the Master Equation”, O. Flomenbom, J. Klafter, and R. J. Silbey, Phys. Rev. Lett.  97, 178901 (2006)

Correctly validating results from single molecule data: the case of stretched exponential decay in the catalytic activity of single lipase B molecules,  Ophir Flomenbom, Johan Hofkens, Kelly Velonia, Frans C. de Schryver, Alan E. Rowan, Roeland J.M. Nolte, Joseph Klafter and Robert J. Silbey, Chem. Phys. Lett. 432, 371-374 (2006)

Spectral Diffusion and Drift: Single Chromophore and en masse,  V. Lubchenko and R. J.  Silbey, J. Chem. Phys. 064701 (2007)

Charge Transport in Organic Semiconductors, V. Coropceanu, J. Cornil, D. Da Silva Filho,  Y. Oliver, R. Silbey, and J-L Brédas, Chem. Rev. (in press)