
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
J. Franz, S. Y. Buhmann and A. Salam, “Macroscopic Quantum Electrodynamics Theory of Resonance Energy Transfer Involving Chiral Molecules”, Phys. Rev. A 107, 032809 1-11 (2023).
A. Salam, “Van der Waals Dispersion Potential Between Excited Chiral Molecules via the
Coupling of Induced Dipoles”, Physics 5, 247-260 (2023).
A. Salam, “Two Bridge-Particle-Mediated RET Between Chiral Molecules”, J. Chem. Phys. 157,
104110 1-13 (2022).
A. Salam, “Discriminatory Resonance Energy Transfer Mediated by a Third Molecule”, J. Phys.
Chem. A 125, 3549 – 3555 (2021).
A. Salam, “Resonance Energy Transfer Mediated by a Chiral Molecule”, J. Chem. Phys. 154,
074111
1-15 (2021).
A. Salam, “Bridge-Mediated RET Between Two Chiral Molecules”, Appl. Sci. 11, 1012 1-16
(2021).
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