Research vision

Uncovering and understanding new collective phases of matter is at the heart of condensed matter physics. From superconductors, through ferromagnets, to topological liquids, such phases are not only interesting from the fundamental point of view, but also have multitude potential applications in future quantum technologies and quantum devices with novel functionalities.

Traditionally, collective electronic phases can be observed in chemically-synthesized quantum materials such as cuprate superconductors, which host strong inter-electron interactions giving rise to emergent electronic behavior. However, these materials are typically very difficult to tune, which is in turn instrumental for explorations of quantum phase diagrams of interacting electrons. This problem can be resolved by using cold atoms trapped in optical lattices, which offer virtually unlimited tunability at the expense of functionality, as these are pure quantum simulators.

The vision of our group is to explore emergent quantum phases by design using artificially-engineered van der Waals heterostructures that uniquely bridge the gap between conventional quantum materials and cold-atom simulators, as they retain the functionality of the former, while providing tunability approaching that known for the latter. You can learn more about specific research directions here.