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Infrared vaLLey control of moiré qUantum MatErials

Project description

Circularly polarised light: valley polarisation in moiré materials

Carriers including electrons, holes or excitons are conventionally described by their charge and spin, the degrees of freedom of the physical system that define the system state. More recently, the valley – an energy extremum in the electronic band structure – has been viewed as a new degree of freedom. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ILLUME project will explore the use of circularly polarised light to achieve valley polarisation in moiré quantum materials. This could lead to so-called flat band superconductivity and correlated insulators. The researcher will explore inter-valley scattering in 1D channels leading to superconducting interferences and investigate superconducting phases and correlated insulators in flat band moiré systems.

Objective

A key ingredient governing the behaviour of electron dynamics in condensed matter systems is the valley degree of freedom. This fellowship aims at inducing topological (or valley-polarised) electronic phases in moiré systems and explore their tunability. Moiré quantum materials present a high degree of tunability as the ratio between interaction strength and electronic bandwidth can be optimised, resulting in flat bands and correlated electronic states. Control of such phases with circularly polarised light would allow to understand the valley-polarisation, topological protection, and the mechanisms underlying the emergence of flat-band superconductivity and correlated insulators. The project will use an interdisciplinary methodology combining electronic transport techniques with infrared far-field irradiation and near field imaging, to create, manipulate and explore novel phases with non-trivial topology (valley polarisation) in moiré materials. The researcher will conduct transport measurement with circularly polarised light to selectively induce inter-valley scattering in 1D channels and explore superconducting interferences in this regime. The project will also quantify the influence of circularly polarised light (CPL) on the superconducting phases and correlated insulators in flat band moiré systems, in order to comprehend the interplay of strongly correlated electronic states with CPL and understand their origin. The fellowship will control and explore novel phases with non-trivial topology in moiré materials, providing new understanding of valley-polarised phases. This objective is a steppingstone towards the creation of new optoelectronic devices such as photonic diodes, optical transistors and logic circuits, and could lead to new concepts as topological nanophotonics for optical information processing.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01

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Coordinator

FUNDACIO INSTITUT DE CIENCIES FOTONIQUES
Net EU contribution
€ 181 152,96
Address
AVINGUDA CARL FRIEDRICH GAUSS 3
08860 Castelldefels
Spain
Region
Este Cataluña Barcelona
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost
No data