Theoretical condensed matter · DTU Physics
We develop first-principles theory to understand and control materials through strong light–matter interaction, from optical cavities to ultrafast laser pulses.
About the group
We are a condensed matter physics group specialised in theoretical methods for ab-initio calculations. Based at the Technical University of Denmark and partnered with the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter in Hamburg, we combine quantum electrodynamics, many-body perturbation theory and density functional theory to design materials whose properties can be tailored by light.
Research
Strong-Light matter coupling in Optical Cavities for Material Control
Following non-equilibrium dynamics with time resolved spectroscopies
Collective Quantum Phases of Matter
Optical properties of novel two-dimensional materials
News
I am extremely proud to have been awarded a Villum Young Investigator Grant with the goal of designing material functionalities with spatially structured light! Read more about the program here and get in contact for PhD and post-doc positions.
SPARKLE, our Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral network, has kicked off! Check out our new website sparkle-dn.eu and join us!
We just held the first CECAM School in Ab Initio Quantum Electrodynamics for Quantum Materials Engineering in Lausanne. It won’t be the last!
I will be coordinating SPARKLE, a Marie Curie Doctoral Network which will train 14 PhD students across Europe on Polaritonic Materials. Stay tuned for new positions!
Publications
A perspective on how structured cavity vacuum fluctuations can switch the ground state of materials. Three theoretical scenarios illustrate quantum phase transitions induced in the dark, without any photons in the cavity.
In the strong light-matter coupling regime, cavity vacuum fluctuations stabilize ferroelectricity as the ground state of SrTiO3. We call this light-matter hybrid ground state a material photo ground state.
Monolayer hBN in an optical cavity hosts phonoritons, hybrid excitations of excitons, photons and phonons. We predict clear spectroscopic signatures and propose a realistic route to observe them.
Attosecond pump-probe spectroscopy captures charge migration in ionized adenine within 3 femtoseconds. Many-body simulations trace this ultrafast motion to electron correlation.
Ultrafast optical pumping turns on hyperbolic dispersion in the van der Waals semiconductor WSe2, creating a transient waveguide for polaritons. This gives an all-optical switch for subwavelength light confinement.
Join us
We regularly look for motivated PhD students and postdocs through our Villum Young Investigator project and the SPARKLE Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral network.
