Andrea Cavalleri

Abstract:

Polaritons are quantum mechanical superpositions of photon states with elementary excitations in molecules and solids. The light-matter admixture causes a characteristic frequency-momentum dispersion shared by all polaritons irrespective of the microscopic nature of material excitations that could entail charge, spin, lattice or orbital effects. Polaritons retain the strong nonlinearities of their matter component and simultaneously inherit ray-like propagation of light. Polaritons prompt new properties, enable new opportunities for spectroscopy/imaging, empower quantum simulations and give rise to new forms of synthetic quantum matter. Here, we review the emergent effects rooted in polaritonic quasiparticles in a wide variety of their physical implementations. We present a broad portfolio of the physical platforms and phenomena of what we term polaritonic quantum matter. We discuss the unifying aspects of polaritons across different platforms and physical implementations and focus on recent developments in: polaritonic imaging, cavity electrodynamics and cavity materials engineering, topology and nonlinearities, as well as quantum polaritonics.

Abstract:

Ultrafast switching of ferroic phases is an active research area with technological potential. Yet, some key challenges remain, ranging from limited speeds in ferromagnets to intrinsic volatility of switched domains owing to depolarizing fields in ferroelectrics. Unlike these ferroic systems, ferroaxial materials host bistable states that preserve spatial-inversion and time-reversal symmetry and are therefore immune to depolarizing fields but also difficult to manipulate with conventional methods. We demonstrate photo-induced switching of ferroaxial order by engineering an effective axial field composed of circularly driven terahertz phonon modes. A switched ferroaxial domain remains stable for many hours and can be reversed back with a second terahertz pulse of opposite helicity. The effects demonstrated in this work may lead to the development of a robust platform for ultrafast information storage.

Abstract:

Coherent terahertz (THz) emission is emerging as a powerful new tool to probe symmetry breakings in quantum materials. This method relies on second order optical nonlinearities and is complementary to second harmonic generation spectroscopy. Here, we report coherent THz emission from Josephson plasmons in underdoped ${\mathrm{YBa}}_2{\mathrm{Cu}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_{6+x}$ , and find that the amplitude of the emitted field increases dramatically close to the superconducting transition temperature, $T_C$ . We show theoretically how emission is enhanced by critical superconducting fluctuations, a nonlinear analog of critical opalescence. This observation is expected to be of general importance for the study of many thermal and quantum phase transitions.

Abstract:

The nonlinear driving of collective modes in quantum materials can lead to a number of striking non-equilibrium functional responses, which merit a comprehensive exploration of underlying dynamics. However, the coherent coupling between nonlinearly-driven modes frequently involves multiple mode coordinates at once, and is often difficult to capture by one-dimensional pump probe spectroscopy. One example is phonon-mediated amplification of Josephson plasmons in YBa2Cu3O6+x, a phenomenon likely associated with the mysterious superconducting-like optical response observed in this material. Here, we report two-dimensional nonlinear spectroscopy measurements in driven YBa2Cu3O6+x. We excite apical oxygen phonons with pairs of mutually-delayed carrier envelope phase stable mid-infrared pump pulses, and detect time-modulated second-order nonlinear optical susceptibility. We find that the driven phonons parametrically amplify coherent pairs of fluctuating opposite-momentum Josephson plasma polaritons, corresponding to a squeezed state of the Josephson plasma.

Abstract:

A long-standing challenge in ultrafast magnetism and functional materials research, in general, has been the generation of a universal, ultrafast stimulus able to switch between stable magnetic states. Solving this problem would open up many new opportunities for fundamental studies, potentially impacting future data storage technologies. Ideally, step-like magnetic field transients with infinitely fast rise time would serve this purpose. Here we develop a new approach to generate ultrafast magnetic field steps by quenching supercurrents in a superconductor. We achieve magnetic field steps with millitesla amplitude, picosecond rise times and slew rates approaching 1 GT s–1. We test the potential of this technique by coherently rotating the magnetization in a ferrimagnet. Although in the current geometry, the magnetic field step is not sufficient to achieve complete switching, suitable improvements in the device geometry could make these magnetic steps both larger and faster. We foresee new applications ranging from quenches across phase transitions to complete switching of magnetic order parameters.