Descrizione del progetto
Nuove basi teoriche supportano la previsione e la scoperta di fasi fotoindotte nei materiali
Le transizioni di fase e le rotture di simmetria sono interconnesse e diffuse in fisica, matematica e ingegneria, risultando fondamentali per fenomeni che vanno dalla superconduttività alla fisica delle particelle dell’universo primordiale. Per rottura della simmetria in una transizione di fase si intende che il nuovo stato presenta una simmetria non visibile nel sistema allo stato fondamentale. I laser ultraveloci possono indurre transizioni di fase reversibili e irreversibili, ma la teoria per spiegare questi fenomeni è per lo più carente. Il progetto DELIGHT, finanziato dall’UE, intende colmare questa lacuna di conoscenza, sviluppando una strategia teorica per prevedere e scoprire le fasi fotoindotte nei materiali. Questo progetto orienterà gli esperimenti futuri e lo sviluppo razionale di nuovi materiali e dispositivi.
Obiettivo
Ultrafast lasers sources open new perspectives in exploring broken symmetry phases as it becomes possible to promote a substantial number of electrons in excited states generating a thermalized electron-hole plasma and leading to reversible or irreversible phase transitions. Light-induced charge density waves, order-disorder transitions, melting, stabilization of topological phases and laser-tunable ferroelectricity have been demonstrated. Experiments are far ahead of theory as few (if any) of the demonstrated light-induced phenomena have been predicted by theory.
DELIGHT aims to develop a theoretical strategy to predict and discover photoinduced phases in materials. To accomplish this goal, we will develop quantum-chemical and molecular dynamics schemes including the effect of the thermalized electron-hole plasma on the crystal potential and accounting for light-induced non-perturbative quantum anharmonicity.
DELIGHT will answer these questions: which systems undergo light induced phase transitions ? Can we use light pulses to enhance or tune charge density wave, ferroelectric and magnetic critical temperatures, to generate new topological phases or to optimize the properties of thermoelectric materials ? Can we develop an inverse design strategy, namely given a target property, determine which material will have to be photoexcited and at which fluence to obtain it ?
The proposal will impact chemistry, physics, energy and material engineering. It could lead, for example, to the development of devices with dynamical light switching on/off of magnetism or ferroelectricity, relevant for ultrafast memories, or to the stabilization of new thermoelectric compounds with photo-tunable thermal conductivity and figure of merit. DELIGHT will foster these and similar developments by implementing a fundamentally new and unique database of out-of-equilibrium accessible states of matter that will be a reference for future experiments.
Campo scientifico
CORDIS classifica i progetti con EuroSciVoc, una tassonomia multilingue dei campi scientifici, attraverso un processo semi-automatico basato su tecniche NLP.
CORDIS classifica i progetti con EuroSciVoc, una tassonomia multilingue dei campi scientifici, attraverso un processo semi-automatico basato su tecniche NLP.
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabases
- natural scienceschemical sciencesphysical chemistryquantum chemistry
- engineering and technologymaterials engineering
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physicsultrafast lasers
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesmolecular and chemical physics
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-AG - HORIZON Action Grant Budget-BasedIstituzione ospitante
38122 Trento
Italia