Quantum Materials

Quantum materials are compounds where electron-electron interaction plays an essential role, e.g. by establishing magnetic order or creating a superconducting state. So-called topology results in deeply quantum effects  in quantum materials that cannot be understood without taking electronic interactions and relativity into account. Additionally, there are proposals that suggest that materials can be non-Hermitian, a novel type of phase that was previously thought to be forbidden. All these aspects make quantum materials candidates for new types of climate change mitigating low-power electronics. The inherent quantum mechanical nature of all electronic interactions and topology suggest that quantum materials can be used for radically new technologies, including quantum computing, quantum information processing, or ultrafast and energy-saving computing.

In LabMontiTM, we study the electronic structure and the ultrafast dynamics of these materials to understand how they can be tailored and integrated into functional devices. To this end, we use the most advanced and unique forms of photoelectron spectroscopy in our lab, and visit the Standford Linear Accelerator Lab to track electron motion on time-scales faster than 10-18 s.