RESEARCH DIRECTIONS
QUASIPARTICLE DYNAMICS
In our ultrafast spectroscopy measurements, we aim to unravel the dynamics of quasiparticles that carry energy and information on the fastest timescales. In these measurements, our aim is to uncover coherent coupling pathways that mediate efficient communication between quasiparticles. See the video (courtesy of PBS) to learn about different types of quasiparticles!
CORRELATED MANY-BODY PHYSICS
Under precisely controlled conditions, certain materials can enter regimes where quantum mechanical behaviors present themselves coherently on macroscopic scales. The canonical example is ferromagnetism, where electron spins collectively align to generate a net magnetization in an object. We are interested in studying magnetism and other many-body and correlated phenomena in quantum materials. See the video (courtesy of Quantum Made Simple) to learn how correlations between atoms can give rise to ferromagnetism!
OPTICAL CONTROL OF MATERIALS
We leverage the incredibly high field amplitude and energy density of our laser pulses to control the behaviors of quantum materials. This can include optically inducing magnetism, optically straining materials, or building tailored pulse sequences to implement quantum control schemes — leading quasiparticles through a set of prescribed quantum states. See the video (courtesy of The University of Sheffield) to learn about the exciton-polariton, one type of light-induced material control where light influences the quantum states of the matter it interacts with!
TWO DIMENSIONAL MATERIALS
Two dimensional materials, typically those with layers held together by weak van der Waals forces, have gripped the imagination of condensed matter physicists since the Nobel prize-winning discovery of graphene in 2004. Since then, researchers have realized that these atomically thin materials can be layered and twisted to form new artificial materials, electrically doped to control the number of electrons present, and stretched to an amazing degree, realizing a decades old ambition to create designer materials with truly tunable properties. In our group, we use these materials as a platform for finding new quantum physics phenomena. See the video (courtesy of The University of Sheffield) to learn why these materials are so exciting!
ULTRAFAST SPECTROSCOPY
In order to study the exciting and unique physics listed above, we employ a variety of ultrafast spectroscopies. These techniques employ laser pulses whose duration is around one millionth of one billionth of a second long! This allows us to measure the fastest processes known to humanity, uncovering entirely new physics in the process. See the video (courtesy of Quantum Made Simple) to learn how pump-probe spectroscopy (just one example of an ultrafast technique) works!