Attosecond control of exciton dynamics in quantum materials

The emergence of high-harmonic generation in solids has opened the door to countless new techniques for attosecond control in electronic devices. Simultaneously, quantum materials have become increasingly important for next-generation technologies that exploiting quantum mechanics for computation or sensing. Of particular interest is the family of 2D semiconductors, which are known to host an interesting atom-like quasiparticle called an exciton. The unique and diverse properties of these materials, combined with the inherently nanoscale features of 2D materials, provides a virtual playground for physicists and engineers. Nevertheless, while the merging of these two fields shows great promise for applications such as lightwave electronics, much of the fundamental physics governing the attosecond dynamics of excitons is not well understood. This leads to several interesting questions: 1) What are the excitonic siganture in the high-harmonic generation and how do we measure them? 2) To what extent can we control their properties using layers and heterostructures of 2D materials? And 3) can we exploit them to create novel devices harnessing the power of quantum mechanics? This Mitacs Globalink project, will begin exploring these questions, which tackle both the fundamental and applied aspects of attosecond science in quantum materials.

Faculty Supervisor:

Giulio Vampa

Student:

Partner:

Universidad Autonoma de Madrid

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Quantum Science; Nanotechnology

University:

University of Ottawa

Program: