Ultrafast Laboratory at Northeastern University
Coherent control and ultrafast spectroscopy of low-dimensional quantum materials

We are an interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers dedicated to probing and controlling material properties using ultrafast laser pulses. Our goal is to address the following key questions in quantum science and engineering:

• How do light-matter and matter-matter interactions give rise to the emergent quantum-mechanical properties of materials?

• Can we engineer light-matter and matter-matter interactions to access "hidden" phases of matter?

To answer these questions, we use various spectroscopic techniques spanning from visible to THz frequencies to study quasiparticles (excitons, phonons, magnons, polarons, polaritons, etc.) in low-dimensional quantum materials. Our research focuses on their ultrafast dynamics out of equilibrium, the fundamental and light-induced interactions between them, and their transport across different layers or nano-domains (such as moiré superlattice sites) in van der Waals heterostructures.

We control the strength of light-matter interactions using photonic cavities, and engineer the strength of matter-matter interactions by deliberately designing heterostructures and inducing polarizations with strong electromagnetic fields. By harnessing light-induced properties, we aim to enable fast and efficient optoelectronic and quantum photonic devices, ultimately opening new pathways to steer quantum states using light.