Ultrafast Physics of Emerging Quantum Materials

Material science is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, influencing everything from automobiles and LED lighting to photovoltaics cells. The macroscopic properties of materials are intricately linked to their atomic, molecular, and electronic structures. Notably, recently a new class of materials called ‘quantum materials’, has been discovered in which the subtle quantum effects control the macroscopic behavior of materials that provide unique functionality ranging from dissipation less transport to novel quasiparticle excitations.

The term “quantum materials” is broad, encompassing a large portfolio of materials whose properties stem not only from correlation effects at the microscopic level but also from the topological nature of the quantum wavefunctions. While all materials exhibit quantum mechanical properties to some level, ‘quantum materials’ showcase distinct features such as quantum fluctuations, quantum entanglement, quantum coherence, and topological behaviour (see the figure below). Common examples of quantum materials include superconductors, topological insulators, Weyl semimetals, and two-dimensional (2D) materials.