Optics and Magnetism of Quantum Materials

Theoretical physics applied to the study of quantum materials

Announcement: TIMES

We are happy to announce the TIMES doctoral network

The TIMES doctoral network merges different areas of expertise within first-principles computational and theoretical approaches of high accuracy and predictive power, to improve existing methods for incorporating nonequilibrium dynamics in condensed matter physics.
TIMES integrates academic and non-academic groups across Europe and is training the new generation of scientists who will devise novel theoretical and computational frameworks for simulating non-equilibrium phenomena and acquire experience in associated industrial applications. A particular emphasis will be put on the study of correlated structural dynamics, coherent light-matter interaction, and dissipative phenomena.
 
Please visit the website https://times.uv.es for more information!

TEAM

Leader: Alejandro Molina-Sánchez

Institute of Materials Science at the University of Valencia

Our research group is based at the Institute of Materials Science of the University of Valencia. We have expertise in  theoretical and computational physics applied to the research of solid-state physics and the properties of quantum materials

Research

Physics of excitons

Excitons are fundamentals to understand the light-matter interaction in semiconductors. The diverse and rich excitonic physics is responsible of phenomena of energy conversion, photon emitters, or quantum optics devices. In 2D materials, excitons are especially relevant, with large binding energies, resulting in fascinating many-body correlated phenomena. Our group works with ab initio computational methods to explore excited-state properties of quantum materials.

Phonons in 2D Materials

In 2011 I started to investigate 2D Materials. My first work studied phonons in single-layer and bulk MoS2. Often, properties of 2D materials behave in a counter-intuitive way with respect to their bulk counterparts. 

Raman Spectroscopy

I collaborate in this nice work of Henrique Miranda in ab initio calculations of Raman spectroscopy in 2D materials. The calculations include the excitonic effects in the Raman response. 

Exciton-Phonon Coupling

I had the luck of being part of the work of Fulvio Paleari in phonon-assisted absorption/emission spectra in Boron Nitride. Boron nitride has a strong luminescence in the UV range and an indirect bandgap. 

Magnons in 2D Materials

Magnetic order in 2D materials  opens new functionalities in functional materials with applications in spintronics or quantum computing. Magnons or spin-waves, spin excitations, dominate the magnetic response of two-dimensional crystals. Our research focus on developing ab initio methods to calculate magnons and magnon dynamics in 2D materials. We are also interested in the coupling of optical and magnetic properties, magnetic proximity effects on the exciton properties and the opto-magnetic properties of hybrid 2D material heterostructures.

Magnons in 2D Materials

Ultrafast Dynamics

Ultrafast dynamics of matter is at the core of applications like magnetic writing and reading or solar cells efficiency. In the framework of out of equilibrium many-body theory, we study the phenomena arising from the optical excitation by means of ultra-short laser pulses of electrons and excitons and the resulting out-of-equilibrium dynamics. We focus valley-spin dynamics and exciton dynamics in 2D materials. We are also working on the development of ab initio methods to simulate correlated electron-ion dynamics.

 

Perovskites for solar cells

Perovskites are promising active materials for solar cells. In collaboration with the experimental colleagues of UMDO at the ICMUV we study

Magenetism in 2D materials

The existence of magnetism in 2D materials open the opportunity of investigating fundamental questions of condensed matter physics. 

Ultrafast Spectroscopy

In this work, we have applied ab initio methods, together with non-equilibrium Green’s function theory to perform simulations of ultrafast spectroscopy in transition metal dichalcogenides.

Ultrafast Spectroscopy

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Latest publications

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Publications
Time-dependent screening explains the ultrafast excitonic signals rise in 2D semiconductors
Out-of-plane trion emission in monolayer WSe2 revealed by whispering gallery modes of dielectric microresonators
Electronic and magnetic properties of VOCl/FeOCl antiferromagnetic heterobilayers

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