  We theoretically demonstrate that chemical reaction rate constant can be
significantly suppressed by coupling molecular vibrations with an optical
cavity, exhibiting both the collective coupling effect and the cavity-frequency
modification of the rate constant. When a reaction coordinate is strongly
coupled to the solvent molecules, the reaction rate constant is reduced due to
the dynamical caging effect. We demonstrate that collectively coupling the
solvent to the cavity can further enhance this dynamical caging effect, leading
to additional suppression of the chemical kinetics. This effect is further
amplified when cavity loss is considered.
