Education
BSc (First Class Honours) in Chemical Physics, University College London, 1990.
PhD in Chemistry, University College London, 1993.
Research Description
A fundamental description is sought of the properties of molecules, their mutual interaction, and their interaction with electromagnetic fields. Current and future research areas of interest include long-range intermolecular forces, single- and multi-photon absorption and emission processes, and molecular chirality.
Publications
1. Molecular Quantum Electrodynamics
Books
Molecular Quantum Electrodynamics: Long-Range Intermolecular Interactions, Akbar Salam, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., NJ, 2010.
Non-Relativistic QED Theory of the van der Waals Dispersion Interaction, Akbar Salam, Springer, 2016
Selected Publications
A. Salam, “RET in a Dielectric Medium: Insights From Molecular QED Theory”, Mol. Phys. 118, e1770882 1-7 (2020).
D. Green, G. A. Jones and A. Salam, “Polariton Mediated Resonance Energy Transfer in a Fluid”, J. Chem. Phys. 153, 034111 1-12 (2020).
H. Safari, P. Barcellona, S. Y. Buhmann and A. Salam, “Medium-Assisted van der Waals Dispersion Interactions Involving Chiral Molecules”, New. J. Phys. 22, 053049 1-22 (2020).
D. L. Andrews, D. S. Bradshaw, K. A. Forbes and A. Salam, “Quantum Electrodynamics in Modern Optics and Photonics: Tutorial”, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 37, 1153-1172 (2020).
K. A. Forbes and A. Salam, “Kramers-Heisenberg Dispersion Formula for Scattering of Twisted Light”, Phys. Rev. A 100, 053413 1-13 (2019).
J. S. Ford, A. Salam and G. A. Jones, “A Quantum Electrodynamics Description of Quantum Coherence and Damping in Condensed-Phase Energy Transfer”, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 10, 5654-5661 (2019).
A. Salam, “Corrections to the Casimir-Polder Potential Arising From Electric Octupole Coupling”, Mol. Phys. 117, 2217-2224 (2019).
A. Salam, “Near-Zone Mediation of RET by One and Two Proximal Particles”, J. Phys. Chem. A 123, 2853-2860 (2019).
A. Salam, “The Unified Theory of Resonance Energy Transfer According to Molecular Quantum Electrodynamics”, Atoms 6, 56: 1-20 (2018).
S. Y. Buhmann and A. Salam, “Three-Body Dispersion Potentials Involving Electric Octupole Coupling ”, Symmetry 10, 343: 1-24, (2018).
D. L. Andrews, G. A. Jones, A. Salam, and R. G. Woolley, “Perspective: Quantum Hamiltonians for Optical Interactions”, J. Chem. Phys. 148, 040901 1-10 (2018).
P. Barcellona, H. Safari, A. Salam and S. Y. Buhmann, “Enhanced Chiral Discriminatory van der Waals Interactions Mediated by Chiral Surfaces”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 193401 1-5 (2017).
A. Salam, Long-Range Interparticle Interactions: Insights from Molecular Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) Theory, In Reviews in Computational Chemistry, Vol. 29, Eds., Abby L. Parrill and Kenneth B. Lipkowitz, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, 98-151 (2016).
A. Salam, “Virtual Photon Exchange, Intermolecular Interactions and Optical Response Functions”, Mol. Phys. 113, 3645-3653 (2015).
A. Salam, Quantum Electrodynamics, In Fundamentals of Photonics and Physics, Vol. 1, Ed., David L. Andrews, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, 229-277 (2015).
A. Salam, “Quantum Electrodynamics Effects in Atoms and Molecules”, WIREs Comput. Mol. Sci. 5, 178-201 (2015).
J. Aldegunde and A. Salam, “Dispersion Energy Shifts Among N Bodies with Arbitrary Atomic Multipole Polarisability: Molecular QED Theory”, Mol. Phys. 113, 226-231 (2015).
A. Salam, “Dispersion Potential Between Three-Bodies with Arbitrary Atomic Multipole Polarizabilities: Molecular QED Theory, J. Chem. Phys.140, 044111 1-12 (2014).
A. Salam, “Higher-Order Atomic Multipole Contributions to Retarded Non-Additive Three-Body Dispersion Interaction Energies Between Atoms: Equilateral Triangle and Collinear Configurations”, J. Chem. Phys. 139, 244105 1-11 (2013) .
S. Y. Buhmann, H. Safari, S. Scheel and A. Salam, “Body-Assisted Dispersion Potentials of Diamagnetic Atoms”, Phys. Rev. A 87, 012507 1-10 (2013).
A. Salam, “Mediation of Resonance Energy Transfer by a Third Molecule”, J. Chem. Phys. 136, 014509 1-5 (2012).
A. Salam, “Molecular Quantum Electrodynamics of Radiation-Induced Intermolecular Forces”, Adv. Quant. Chem. 62, 1-34 (2011).
J. J. Rodriguez and A. Salam, “Effect of Medium Chirality on the Rate of Resonance Energy Transfer”, J. Phys. Chem. B115, 5183-5190 (2011).
J. J. Rodriguez and A. Salam, “On the Influence of Nonlocal Molecular Vibrations and Charge Transfer on the Spectra of Aggregated Push-Pull Chromophores”, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 154512 (2011).
J. J. Rodriguez and A. Salam, “Casimir-Polder Potential in a Dielectric Medium Out of Thermal Equilibrium”,Phys. Rev. A 82, 062522 1-6 (2010).
A. Salam and D. A. Micha, “Photoinduced Quantum Dynamics in Molecules and at Adsorbates”, Molec. Phys. 108, 3223-3234 (2010). Invited Article.
J. J. Rodriguez and A. Salam, “On the Role of Dissipation on the Casimir-Polder Potential Between Molecules in Dielectric Media”, J. Chem. Phys. 133, 164501 1-8 (2010).
J. J. Rodriguez and A. Salam, “Influence of Medium Chirality on Atomic Dipole-Dipole Resonance Energy Transfer”, Chem. Phys. Lett. 498, 67-70 (2010).
P. Fischer and A.Salam, “Molecular QED of Coherent and Incoherent Sum-frequency and Second-harmonic Generation in Chiral Liquids in the Presence of a Static Atomic Field”, Molec. Phys. 108, 1857-1868 (2010).
A. Salam, “On the Manifestation of Casimir Effects in Intermolecular Interactions via the Method of Induced Moments”, J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 161, 012040 1-14 (2009).
A. Salam, “Molecular Quantum Electrodynamics in the Heisenberg Picture: A Field Theoretic Viewpoint”, Int. Rev. Phys. Chem. 27, 405-448 (2008).
A. Salam, “Two Alternative Derivations of the Static Contribution to the Radiation-Induced Intermolecular Energy Shift”, Phys. Rev. A 76, 063402 1-5 (2007).
B. W. Alligood and A. Salam, “On the Application of State Sequence Diagrams to the Calculation of the Casimir-Polder Potential”, Molec. Phys. 105, 395-404 (2007).
A. Salam, “A General Formula Obtained From Induced Moments for the Retarded van der Waals Dispersion Energy Shift Between Two Molecules With Arbitrary Atomic Multipole Polarizabilities: I. Ground State Interactions”, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 39 , S651-S661 (2006).
A. Salam, “A General Formula Obtained From Induced Moments for the Retarded van der Waals Dispersion Energy Shift Between Two Molecules With Arbitrary Atomic Multipole Polarizabilities: II. Excited State Interactions”, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 39 , S663-S669 (2006).
A. Salam, “Intermolecular Interactions in a Radiation Field via the Method of Induced Moments”, Phys. Rev. A 73, 013406 1-8 (2006).
A. Salam, “On the Effect of a Radiation Field in Modifying the Intermolecular Interaction Between Two Chiral Molecules”, J. Chem. Phys. 124, 014302 1-6 (2006).
A. Salam, “Generalized Expressions for Resonant Excitation Transfer and Retarded Dispersion Energy Shifts Obtained Using Multipolar Quantum Electrodynamics”, Int. J. Quantum Chem. 105, 762-766 (2005).
A. Salam, “Resonant Transfer of Excitation Between Two Molecules Using Maxwell Fields”, J. Chem. Phys. 122, 044113 1-7 (2005).
A. Salam, “A General Formula for the Rate of Resonant Transfer of Energy Between Two Atomic Multipole Moments of Arbitrary Order Using Molecular Quantum Electrodynamics”, J. Chem. Phys. 122, 044112 1-12 (2005).
A. Salam, “A Simple Route to the Energy Shift Between an Electrically Polarizable Molecule and a Magnetically Susceptible Molecule via the Electromagnetic Energy Density”, Molec. Phys. 102, 797-800 (2004).
2. Semi-Classical Radiation Theory
Y. Ma and A. Salam, “Controlling State Populations of Enantiomers of Real Chiral Molecules by Using a Circularly Polarized Pulsed Laser”, Chem. Phys. Lett. 431, 247-252 (2006).
Y. Ma and A. Salam, “On Chiral Selectivity of Enantiomers Using a Circularly Polarized Pulsed Laser Under Resonant and Off-resonant Conditions”, Chem. Phys. 324, 367-375 (2006).
Y. Ma and A. Salam, “Calculation of Electronic Circular Dichroism Spectra by Rotating Wave Approximation”, Chem. Phys. 324, 622-630 (2006).
3. Applications of Electronic Structure Theory
A. A. Tamijani, A. Salam and M. P. de Lara-Castells, “Adsorption of Noble Gas Atoms on the TiO2(110) Surface: An Ab Initio-Assisted Study with van der Waals-Corrected DFT”, J. Phys. Chem C 120, 18126-18139 (2016).
S. W. Paine and A. Salam, “Computational Study of Tautomerism and Aromaticity in Mono- and Dithio-Substituted Tropolone”, Int. J. Quant. Chem. 113, 1245-1252 (2013).
S. W. Paine and A. Salam, “A Computational Study of the Keto-Enol Equilibria of Sulphur Substituted Analogues of Hydroxycyclopropenone”, J. Mol. Struct. (THEOCHEM) 814, 105-112 (2007).
S. W. Paine and A. Salam, “Computational Study of Keto–Enol Equilibria of Tropolone in Gas and Aqueous Solution Phase”, Chem. Phys. 331, 61-66 (2006).
S. W Paine, A. J. Kresge, and A. Salam, “An Ab Initio and Density Functional Theory Study of Keto-Enol Equilibria of Hydroxycyclopropenone in Gas and Aqueous Solution Phase”, J. Phys. Chem. A 109, 4149-4153 (2005).
Awards and Accomplishments
Ollen R. Nalley Faculty Fellow, 2009-2012
Wake Forest University Research Award 2010
Wiley-International Journal of Quantum Chemistry Young Investigator Award 2005