EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF: Dissipative Structure in Quantum Materials Driven by Light-Induced Coherent Phonons

This Research Infrastructure Improvement EPSCoR Research Fellows project provides a fellowship to an Assistant professor and training for a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Delaware. This work is conducted in collaboration with the University of Washington. Through the fellowship, the PI will explore how the interplay of light and controlled energy flow can be used to manipulate the properties of advanced materials at the quantum level. The project will use concepts from physics and materials sciences to understand how new forms of order can appear and be stabilized in these materials when they are exposed to light. The results could lead to new ways of engineering materials and designing functionalities, such as novel electronics with lower energy cost. This award will also promote collaboration between institutions, provide training for early-career scientists, and enriching undergraduate and graduate curricula for STEM education and workforce development. This project will develop a hybrid theoretical framework to simulate the non-equilibrium behavior of quantum materials, with a particular focus on how energy flow shapes their properties when exposed to light. The framework will integrate semi classical models for atomic motion with advanced quantum methods for electronic motion to study their complex interaction driven by light. By applying this framework to quantum electronic systems, the research will reveal how energy flow can stabilize novel states of matter that are not found under normal, equilibrium conditions. The project will foster faculty development in materials sciences and quantum theory, while providing training for both graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Incorporating the research findings into curriculum development, outreach activities, and collaborations with other institutions will enrich STEM education, prepare a skilled future workforce, and enhance the university’s research capacity to attract talented students. This project is supported by the EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: EPSCoR Research Fellows, which supports early- and mid-career investigators in eligible jurisdictions to develop collaborations at the nation’s private, government or academic research institutions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.