Light-Control of Nonequilibrium Quantum Matter

Recent experimental developments across fields such as ultra-fast science, condensed matter and quantum optics have turned the electromagnetic radiation from traditional spectroscopic probe into a powerful tool to control and manipulate quantum materials and devices.

A striking example is provided by light-induced superconductivity, observed in a number of compounds ranging from cuprates to fullerides and, more recently, organic materials, at temperatures far higher than in thermal equilibrium.In addition, when quantum fluctuations of the light field trapped into a cavity become relevant, new horizons for control of quantum matter arise and new classes of hybrid polaritonic many-body states emerge.

The aim of this project is to advance our theoretical understanding of light-control of quantum matter, far away from thermal equilibrium.

I will focus on pumped organic molecular solids and ultracold fermions in driven optical lattices and devise robust nonequilibrium protocols to stabilize Eta-Pairing Superconductivity, an exotic, yet so far elusive, quantum phase of matter.

I will provide a theoretical framework for light-induced superconductivity in organic materials, where recent experiments call for a radicallly new explanation.

Motivated by upcoming experiments on cavity-controlled quantum materials, I will investigate how to induce emergent light-matter phenomena, such as superradiance or lasing in novel polaritonic platforms built with collective excitations of correlated quantum matter.

To address the challenges that come with the CoNQuER proposal I will take advantage of the broad range of theoretical methods I developed over the past years to study fermionic and bosonic nonequilibrium quantum matter, ranging from Dynamical Mean Field Theories to powerful Time-Dependent Variational Approaches and Non-Perturbative Field Theory Methods and I will develop them further to deal with classical drives and coupling to dissipative cavity photon fields.