Upcoming Event: Oden Institute & Dept. of Physics

From Excitons to Floquet Engineering: Computational Insights into Light-Matter Interactions in Quantum Materials

Jonah Haber, Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University

Abstract

Understanding how light interacts with matter at the atomic level is a rapidly advancing field, with profound implications for emerging quantum technologies. In this talk, I will present recent developments in computational methods for simulating light-matter interactions in crystalline materials, with a focus on both resonant photoexcitation and off-resonant driving of their electronic structure. In the first part of the talk, I will focus on excitons -- correlated electron-hole pairs generated upon photoexcitation of semiconducting and insulating materials. The second part of the talk will shift focus to non-perturbative light-matter interactions, particularly Floquet engineering, where time-periodic light fields modulate material properties. Using real-time numerical simulations of photo-irradiated graphene, I will demonstrate how well-established photo-induced phenomena -- such as bulk band-gap openings and the formation of topological edge states -- persist even for noisy quantum drives, providing new insights into Floquet engineering in non-ideal conditions.

Biography

Dr. Jonah Haber is a computational condensed matter researcher whose work focuses on understanding the electronic properties of energy and quantum materials through advanced first-principles methods. He received his bachelor’s degree in physics from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, where he developed new computational techniques to model electron-phonon and excitonic phenomena in complex materials. Currently a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, Dr. Haber's research explores non-perturbative light-matter interactions in open quantum systems, with a particular focus on how time-dependent light fields influence the electronic and topological properties of materials. His work aims to provide deeper insights into the fundamental behavior of these systems at the atomic scale, advancing the development of quantum devices and materials for clean energy applications.