The colors we see and many of the optical technologies that support modern life arise from how electrons in matter respond to light. Understanding these photophysical processes has enabled advances in light sources, sensors, optical communication, and the conversion of energy and information between light, electricity, and other forms. Recent progress in materials science has revealed a broad class of quantum materials, in which electrons organize and behave in ways that defy classical description, giving rise to unusual electronic states and quasiparticles.
In the Quantum and Ultrafast Optoelectronics Unit, we study how quantum materials respond to electromagnetic waves. One focus of the Unit is the use of low-energy terahertz (THz) light, which is uniquely suited to probe and control delicate quantum phenomena, including topology, electronic correlations, collective motion, and quantum coherence. We develop and apply ultrafast optical and THz imaging to visualize these properties both in the ground state and across excited-state dynamics, ultimately at the nanoscale. Our target systems include atomically thin nanomaterials and their superlattices, as well as organic-inorganic hybrid systems. Through these studies, we aim to uncover new optoelectronic principles and harness quantum mechanical effects for future energy conversion and information technologies.
