Project description
Exploring non-equilibrium phenomena in quantum materials
To exploit quantum materials and design novel functionalities, it is necessary to understand how their macroscopic quantum states evolve from microscopic interactions, and also how they respond to external perturbations. Although current ultrafast methods and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) provide some insights into the dynamics of quantum materials, they have limitations. Neither can provide a global understanding of the non-equilibrium response of a quantum state or the localised non-equilibrium dynamics at the atomic scale. The ERC-funded FASTOMIC project aims to develop advanced ultrafast STM imaging techniques that will be able to capture these phenomena. It will also stimulate Floquet states by periodic driving with light to investigate and control new quantum properties at the atomic scale.
Objective
Quantum materials (QMs) are of great importance for the development of future quantum nanophotonics and nanoelectronic devices. To harness their full potential and design novel functionalities, it is essential to understand how their macroscopic quantum states arise from the microscopic interaction between their charge, lattice, orbital, and spin degrees of freedom, and how they respond to external perturbations. While ultrafast techniques offer unique insight into microscopic interactions at global, macroscopic scales, they fall short of capturing the local response of a many-body quantum state directly at the atomic scale.
In contrast, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) enables imaging of stationary quantum states with angstrom spatial resolution, revealing atomic inhomogeneities, local disorder, or how quantum phases can vary over angstrom scales. Such irregularities are ubiquitous in real devices, and can even be a key feature of technically relevant metastable phases. In these cases, the global understanding of the nonequilibrium response of a quantum state is not sufficient to fully capture its properties, and one must also understand the localized response directly at the relevant spatial - angstrom - scales. Yet, the study of atomically localized nonequilibrium dynamics in QMs has so far been out of reach.
In this proposal, I will employ ultrafast Terahertz-lightwave-driven STM (THz-STM) to (i) explore the response of correlated electron states to global and local perturbations and as a function of their local environment, and (ii) induce new quantum properties by periodic driving with light to create Floquet topological states and study their topological properties at the atomic scale.
FASTOMIC will bridge the gap between atomic real-space and ultrafast real-time investigation of condensed quantum matter, providing scientific insights and technological advances that go significantly beyond existing capabilities.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nanophotonics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
80539 MUNCHEN
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.