NSF Award
2414131
This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).<br/><br/>Non-Technical Description<br/>Quantum effects are any phenomena that typically happen at small scales and cannot be explained by classical mechanics. There are many important research problems involving quantum effects that classical computers cannot fully solve. For example, the rational design of complex materials can require understanding the collective behavior of many atomic components and their quantum interactions. A quantum simulator is a device that can actively consider the complex interactions (quantum effects) to model these real-world complex systems in a programmable fashion. However, traditionally, these quantum simulators have to work at ultralow temperatures, making them expensive to prepare and operate. This CAREER project aims to transform the field of quantum simulators through a combined research and education program focused on novel optical materials and their integration approaches for realizing quantum simulators at room temperature. Specifically, the PI will synthesize novel new optical materials, integrate them with photonic structures, demonstrate functional room-temperature quantum simulators, and use them to study the rich exotic materials properties that are previously challenging to fully understand. An integrated education program will also expand quantum science and technology accessibility in Nebraska by working with teachers via workshops and labs to provide them with a scientific frontier perspective. Additionally, this program will engage undergraduate and high school students in workshops and internships, with a particular focus on first-generation college students and students from traditionally underrepresented groups. These efforts aim to increasing the diversity and competitiveness of the future scientific workforce.<br/><br/>Technical description: <br/>The goals of this project are to reveal quantum phenomena previously observed only at low-temperature at room temperature (RT) with excitonic halide perovskites materials in the optical cavities and build a competitive quantum optics education program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Strong coupling between excitons and photons in high-quality optical cavities produces a new hybrid half-matter, half-light quasiparticle called exciton-polariton that exhibits ultrasmall effective mass inherited from the photon and significant nonlinearity inherited from the exciton. These qualities allow exciton-polaritons to undergo a transition to Bose-Einstein condensation at RT, potentially enabling a broad range of applications, such as optical analog quantum simulators and low threshold polariton lasers. The project will significantly expand our understanding of how excitons interact at RT and form stable polariton quantum liquid in these new perovskite material systems. It also provides a fantastic photonic platform for exploring the macroscopic quantum phenomenon at RT without requiring complicated and expensive ultracold atoms, cryostats, or molecular beam epitaxy growth vacuum chambers. Lastly, the tunable mode splitting in perovskite microcavities behaves as an effective magnetic field on photon spin, enabling studies on synthetic non-Abelian gauge fields and topological physics at RT. This research, which will utilize nanofabrication, materials synthesis, and optical spectroscopy methods to study halide perovskite materials, promises to transform the field of RT polaritonics and quantum simulators. It will also undergird an integrated education program focusing on quantum photonics. A graduate course, various outreach pathways, and a K-12 teacher workshop, all featuring research frontiers in quantum photonics, will be developed with the ultimate goal of building a diverse, globally competitive workforce pipeline on quantum science, a critical knowledge frontier for the nation.<br/><br/>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.
