Project description DEENESFRITPL Removing the barriers to novel photonic devices Topology is a branch of mathematics that investigates geometric shapes that withstand deformation, like a rubbery coffee mug that retains the hole in its handle no matter how you squash it. In the last few decades, topology has been successfully applied to materials. ‘Topologically protected’ electrons have led to topological insulators that are insulating on the inside and conducting on the outside, where electrons resist impediments to their flow. More recently, analogous phenomena with photons have been studied. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TEBLA project is investigating emergent topological effects in photonic lattices that could lead to novel lasing phenomena and topological fluids of light. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Controlling and manipulating quantum matter is a fast-growing research topic that could revolutionise technology and influence many aspects of our daily life. A promising step in this direction is to use topological concepts to tune physical properties of matter and to exploit novel phenomena useful to build new physical devices. In the last decade, topology have been extensively studied in the context of quantum many-body systems, a revolution that has led to the discovery of the topological insulators. Similarly, the Fubini-Study metric has just begun to show its physical meaning and role played in some quantum phenomena, but a lot more remains to be investigated. In this Action, I will study how topological and geometrical effects emerge in the physics of bosons in lattices. I will first address the geometrical contribution in the dynamics of two-body bound states, and then I shall identify conditions for enhancing inter-particle interactions on a full many-body system. I will apply these findings on photonic lattice systems and investigate how non-trivial quantum geometry and topology can lead to novel lasing phenomena. The nature of the work, being based on a combination of expertise, will have a strong interdisciplinary character. The research will be done at Aalto University in the Quantum Dynamics group led by Academy Professor Päivi Törmä, with the unique and exciting opportunity for me to work on the theory in a side by side collaboration with the experimentalists of the group. The expected impact of this research will advance our understanding of the topological properties of bosons in lattices, towards the exploration of geometrically-induced ultrafast lasers and strongly correlated topological fluids of light. Fields of science natural sciencesmathematicspure mathematicstopologynatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physicsultrafast lasersnatural sciencesphysical sciencestheoretical physicsparticle physicsphotons Keywords topological phases of matter Fubini-Study metric quantum metric topological photonics plasmonic nanoparticle arrays bosonic atoms in optical lattices Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2020 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2020 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinator AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR Net EU contribution € 190 680,96 Address OTAKAARI 1 02150 Espoo Finland See on map Region Manner-Suomi Helsinki-Uusimaa Helsinki-Uusimaa Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 190 680,96