Prof. Boris Fainberg

My current research is related to theoretical problems of molecular electronics, nano-photonics and plasmonics.

We developed theory for light-induced current by strong optical pulses in molecular tunneling junctions. We proposed an optical control method using chirped pulses for enhancing charge transfer in unbiased junctions where the bridging molecule is characterized by a strong charge-transfer transition. The effects of local field for realistic junction geometries and non-Markovian response of the molecule were also taken into account.

We considered exciton effects on current in molecular nanojunctions. Our calculations have shown that in case of noninteracting electrons this interaction leads to reduction in the current at high voltage for a homodimer bridge. In other words, we predicted the effect of “exciton” blocking. We also studied the influence of both exciton effects and Coulomb repulsion on current in molecular nanojunctions. We show that dipolar energy-transfer interactions between the sites in the wire can compensate Coulomb blocking for particular relationships between their values. Tuning this relationship may be achieved by using the effect of plasmonic nanostructure on dipolar energy-transfer interactions.

We have developed a pseudoparticle nonequilibrium Green function formalism to study the coupling between plasmons and excitons in nonequilibrium molecular junctions. The formalism treats plasmon-exciton couplings and intramolecular interactions exactly and is shown to be especially convenient for exploration of plasmonic absorption spectrum of plexitonic systems. This study opens a way to deal with strongly interacting plasmon-exciton systems in nonequilibrium molecular devices.

We have proposed new approaches to coherent control of transport via molecular junctions. The methods are based on the application of intrinsic semiconductor contacts and optical frequencies below the semiconductor bandgap, and using graphene electrodes as a platform for effective photon assisted tunneling through molecular conduction nanojunctions.

We have also developed a theory of nonlinear non-steady-state organic “plasmonics” with strong laser pulses.

• Ph.D., S.I. Vavilov State Optical Institute, Leningrad, USSR, 1977

• M.Sc., Leningrad Institute of Precise Mechanics and Optics, Leningrad, USSR , 1969

• Research-probationer, Spectrometry, S.I. Vavilov State Optical Institute, Leningrad, USSR, 1969-1971

• Junior Research Associate, Spectroscopy, S.I. Vavilov State Optical Institute, Leningrad, USSR, 1971-1987

• Senior Research Associate, Spectroscopy, S.I. Vavilov State Optical Institute, Leningrad, USSR, 1987-1990

• Associate Professor, Spectroscopy, S.I. Vavilov State Optical Institute, Leningrad, USSR, 1989-1990

• Senior Scientist, Chemistry, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel, 1991-1998

• Adjunct Lecturer, H.I.T. - Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel, 1994-1997

• Associate Professor, H.I.T. - Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel, 1998-2003

• Full Professor (with tenure), H.I.T. - Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel, 2003-present

• Dean of Research, Tel-Aviv University, 1999-2001

• Visiting Professor, Chemistry, Tel-Aviv University, 2000-present

• Short-term Visiting Professor on invitation with financial support, Institute of Physics and Chemistry of Materials, CNRS, Strasbourg, France, 1997

• Short-term Visiting Professor on invitation with financial support, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan, 1999

• Short-term Visiting Professor on invitation with financial support, Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, USA, 2000

• Visiting Professor on invitation with financial support (September-October), Institute of Atomic and Molecular Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China, 2000

• Visiting Professor on invitation with financial support (September-October), Institute of Physics and Chemistry of Materials, CNRS, Strasbourg, France, 2001

• Visiting Professor on invitation with financial support (September-October), Institute of Physics and Chemistry of Materials, CNRS, Strasbourg, France, 2002

• Visiting Professor (February-May), Humboldt University of Berlin, Institute of Physics, Berlin, Germany, 2003

• Visiting Professor – Sabbatical (November-December), University of Augsburg, Institute for Physics, Augsburg, Germany, 2007

• Visiting Professor – Sabbatical (September), Northwestern University, Chemistry Department, Evanston, IL, USA, 2011

• Visiting Professor (July-August), Northwestern University, Chemistry Department, Evanston, IL, USA, 2012                                                       

• Representative of Israel in the COST action MP1403 "Nanoscale Quantum Optics", COST – European Cooperation in Science and Technology, 2015-present                                               

• Grant – principal investigator “Laser induced grating spectroscopy of high-temperature superconductors”, Ministry of Science and Technology, Israel, 1991-1994

• Grant of the Wolfson Foundation “Ultrafast solvation dynamics”, Inter University Commission, Israel), Tel-Aviv University, 1992-1994

• “GILEADI” Program, Ministry of Absorption, Inter University Commission, Israel, 1995-1999

• “KAMEA” Program, Ministry of Absorption, Inter University Commission, Israel, 1999-2014

• Grant of the French-Israeli Scientific and Technical Cooperation Program Arc-EN-Ciel-Keshet - principal investigator, “Study of wave packet motion in molecules coupled with a dissipative environment: Experimental and theoretical investigation with ultrashort laser pulses”, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israel Ministry of Science, 2001-2002

• Grant – principal investigator (4 years), “Theoretical and experimental study of the interaction of intense ultrashort chirped pulses with molecules in solution”, The Israel Science Foundation (Academy of Science), 2000-2004

• The German Excellence Initiative, The Cluster "Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM)", Germany, 2007

• Grant – principal investigator, "Nanosolitons in molecular J-aggregates offering promise for information recording and processing", Russian Foundation for Basic Research and Israel Ministry of Science, 2008-2010

• Award for distinction in research and creativity, H.I.T. – Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel, 12/2009

• Grant – principal investigator, "Optical response of current carrying molecular junctions based on many-body description", United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), 2009-2014

• Award for distinction in research and creativity, H.I.T. – Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel, 12/2010

• Award for distinction in research and creativity, H.I.T. – Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel, 12/2011

• Northwestern Travel Grant, Northwestern-Tel Aviv University Exchange Program, 2012

• Award for distinction in research and creativity, H.I.T. – Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel, 12/2012

• Award for distinction in research and creativity, H.I.T. – Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel, 9/2013

• Award for distinction in research and creativity, H.I.T. – Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel, 10/2014

• Award for the leadership in Science, Minister of Absorption of Israel, 2014