Dr Rohit Chikkaraddy

Dr Rohit Chikkaraddy

School of Physics and Astronomy
Associate Professor
UKRI Future Leaders Fellow

Contact details

Telephone
+44(0)121 414 4719
Email
r.chikkaraddy@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
School of Physics and Astronomy
Medical Physics
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

An experimentalist specialising in strong light-matter coupling within individual atoms, molecules, and proteins, Dr Rohit Chikkaraddy's research explores nano-optics, metamaterials, and bio-photonics, addressing challenges in sensing, catalysis, and heat management at nanoscale. He is a member of the Metamaterials and Nanophotonics research centre.

Qualifications

  • Junior Research Fellow, Trinity College, University of Cambridge, UK
  • PhD in Physics, University of Cambridge, UK
  • BS-MS, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, India

Biography

Dr Rohit Chikkaraddy joined University of Birmingham in 2022. Prior to this appointment, Rohit was a Research Fellow at Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK. His research focused on exploring light-matter interaction at the nanoscale using plasmonic nanocavities. He completed his PhD in Physics from the University of Cambridge (St John's College). Rohit has received multiple fellowships, awards and medal, including 2024 IOP Henry Moseley Medal and 2021 IOP Bates prize for his outstanding contributions as an early career researcher.

Teaching

  • Year 1: Physics 1A Laboratory
  • Year 2: Optics
  • Year 3: Optics and Photonics Laboratory

Postgraduate supervision

PhD Students

  • Anju Sajan
  • Christopher Sumner
  • Joseph Swane
  • Meghna Sarkar
  • Santhosh Aedelli

Research

Rohit's research focuses on innovating new ways to trap light and study how that light interacts, couples and modifies matter at the smallest scales.

By better understanding and controlling light–matter interactions at the atomic/nanoscale, we aim to:

  • Develop new tools for probing and imaging matter
  • Enable ultra-sensitive chemical and biological sensing
  • Design next-generation optoelectronic and quantum devices

Optomechanics with Quantum Bonds

 

Vibration of chemical bondsWe explore how light can drive the vibrations of individual chemical bonds, letting us watch, and even possibly control them. This opens up new possibilities for making or breaking bonds with light, with implications in catalysis and low-energy switching.

Key Papers

  • Light: Science & Applications (2024) 11, 9
  • Physical Review Letters (2021) 126, 047402
  • Science (2016) 354, 726–729

Mid-Infrared Upconversion

Vibrating moleculesMany molecules vibrate or 'speak' with signature frequencies in the mid-infrared (MIR) range, but MIR light is difficult to detect efficiently. We develop ways to convert MIR signals into visible light, where detection is easier and more sensitive, with implications in environmental sensing, medical diagnostics, and security.

Key Papers

  • Nature Photonics (2023) 17, 865-871
  • Light: Science & Applications (2022) 11, 281
  • Science (2021) 374, 1268-1271

Quantum Light-Matter Coupling

diagram of light molecules transferring to one surface to anotherExtreme tight confinement of optical fields breaks the selection rules for light absorption and emission, resulting in a non-classical light emission, with ultra-fast rates as well as greatly improving the stability of emitters. We show that such system energy oscillates back and forth between light and molecule, resulting in a complete mixing of the two, with material properties of half-light and half-molecule.

Key Papers

  • Light: Science & Applications (2024) 13, 3
  • ACS Photonics (2020) 7, 2, 463-471
  • Nature Communications (2019) 10, 1049
  • Nature (2016) 535, 127–130

Light at Atomic Scale

Diagram depicting light being trapped in between atomsWe study how to trap and guide light in gaps just a few atoms wide, formed between metallic nanostructures, where optical fields are squeezed far below the diffraction limit. In these extreme spaces, light–matter interactions are dramatically enhanced, allowing us to ‘see the nano-world’, unlocking new pathways for nanoscale sensing and spectroscopy.

Key Papers

  • Physical Review Letters (2023) 131, 126902
  • ACS Photonics (2021) 8, 10, 2868-2875
  • Journal of Raman Spectroscopy (2021) 52, 2, 348-352
  • ACS Photonics (2017) 4, 469–475
  • Applied Physics Letters (2012) 100, 4

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Chaudhary, A, Sajan, A, Chikkaraddy, R, Kumar, S, Varshney , RK & Navarro-Cía, M 2026, 'Broadband Reflective Terahertz Quarter-Wave Metasurface Enabled by Two-Photon Polymerization 3D-Printing', Advanced Photonics Research, vol. 7, no. 6, e70225. https://doi.org/10.1002/adpr.70225

Huang, S, Wang, S, Yang, X, Goerlitzer, ESA, Peng, J, Liu, Z, Chikkaraddy, R, Du, J, Vogel, N & Hou, Y 2025, 'Ultrasensitive Ultraviolet Chiral Plasmonic Biosensor Based on Passivated Al Shells', ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c02061

Taneja, C, Elliott, E, Kumar, GVP, Baumberg, JJ & Chikkaraddy, R 2024, 'Mapping and optically-writing nanogap inhomogeneities in 1-D extended plasmonic nanowire-on-mirror cavities', ACS Photonics, vol. 11, no. 12, pp. 5205-5214. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsphotonics.4c01443

Xiong, Y, Chikkaraddy, R, Readman, C, Hu, S, Xiong, K, Peng, J, Lin, Q & Baumberg, J 2024, 'Metal to insulator transition for conducting polymers in plasmonic nanogaps', Light: Science & Applications, vol. 13, 3. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-023-01344-7

Yang, X, Liu, Y, Chen, F-L, Lin, Q-Q, Chikkaraddy, R, Huang, S-S, Xian, S-L, Hou, Y-D, Du, J-L, Xia, L-P & Du, C-L 2024, 'Stepwise colloidal lithography toward scalable and various planar chiral metamaterials', Rare Metals, vol. 43, pp. 723–735. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02420-y

Rocchetti, S, Ohmann, A, Chikkaraddy, R, Kang, G, Keyser, UF & Baumberg, JJ 2023, 'Amplified Plasmonic Forces from DNA Origami-Scaffolded Single Dyes in Nanogaps', Nano Letters, vol. 23, no. 13, pp. 5959-5966. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01016

Chikkaraddy, R, Haung, J, Kos, D, Elliott, E, Kamp, M, Guo, C, Baumberg, J & Nijs, B 2023, 'Boosting Optical Nanocavity Coupling by Retardation Matching to Dark Modes', ACS Photonics, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 493-499. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsphotonics.2c01603

Aligholizadeh, D, Tewala, Y, Langford, K, Hondrogiannis, N, Chikkaraddy, R & Devadas, MS 2023, 'Liquid-Phase Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Detection of Nerve Agent Motifs using Gold Nanostars', Vibrational Spectroscopy, vol. 129, 103616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vibspec.2023.103616

Comment/debate

Albertin, S, Ammann, M, Bartels-Rausch, T, Brean, J, Carpenter, LJ, Chikkaraddy, R, Chipperfield, MP, Ciarelli, G, Coe, H, Cyran, JD, D'Anna, B, Delille, B, Ferracci, V, Frey, MM, Garner, N, Heard, D, Kanji, ZA, Kim, S, Kojoj, J, Lamothe, A, Law, KS, Maus, S, Mohr, C, Murphy, JG, Pfrang, C, Pratt, K, Roberts, T, Stutz, J, Whale, T, Willis, M, Yang, X & Zieger, P 2025, 'Aerosol, clouds and particles: general discussion', Faraday Discussions, vol. 258, pp. 171-200. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5fd90012c

Albertin, S, Ammann, M, Ayotte, P, Bartels-Rausch, T, Bluhm, H, Brean, J, Brett, N, Brown, LV, Buttersack, T, Carpenter, LJ, Chikkaraddy, R, Coe, H, Cyran, JD, Garner, N, Heard, D, Huff, D, Kim, S, Mao, J, Murphy, JG, Pfrang, C, Pratt, KA, Rissanen, M, Savarino, J, Toubin, C, Whale, T & Willis, M 2025, 'Multiphase chemistry: general discussion', Faraday Discussions, vol. 258, pp. 419-440. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5fd90014j

Ammann, M, Amoruso, V, Ayotte, P, Bartels-Rausch, T, Bluhm, H, Brean, J, Buttersack, T, Carpenter, LJ, Chikkaraddy, R, Cyran, JD, Delille, B, Frey, MM, Heard, D, Lamothe, A, Law, KS, Mao, J, Maus, S, Murphy, JG, Peterson, PK, Pfrang, C, Salteri, F, Savarino, J, Stutz, J, Toubin, C, Yang, X & Zieger, P 2025, 'Snow and ice: general discussion', Faraday Discussions, vol. 258, pp. 568-596. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5fd90015h

Ammann, M, Brean, J, Carpenter, LJ, Chikkaraddy, R, Chipperfield, MP, D'Anna, B, Ferracci, V, Frey, MM, Heard, DE, Heddell, SG, Hoffman, A, Huff, D, Lauster, B, Law, KS, Mao, J, Mohr, C, Murphy, JG, Peterson, PK, Pratt, KA, Roberts, TJ, Savarino, J, Squires, F, Stutz, J, Willis, M & Yang, X 2025, 'Transport and chemistry: general discussion', Faraday Discussions, vol. 258, pp. 328-356. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5FD90013A

Letter

Hou, Y, Yang, X, Hu, S, Lin, Q, Zhou, J, Peng, J, Guo, C, Huang, S, Ren, L, Sanchez-Iglesias, A & Chikkaraddy, R 2025, 'Extreme Optical Chirality from Plasmonic Nanocrystals on a Mirror', Nano Letters, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 1158-1164. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c05668

Yang, Y, Chikkaraddy, R, Lin, Q, Clarke, DDA, Wigger, D, Baumberg, JJ & Hess, O 2024, 'Electrochemically Switchable Multimode Strong Coupling in Plasmonic Nanocavities', Nano Letters, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 238–244. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c03814

Literature review

Chikkaraddy, R 2024, 'Single molecule ready to couple', Nature Physics, vol. 20, pp. 694-695. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-024-02494-0

View all publications in research portal