Colloquium: Emergent configurational quantum matter created out of equilibrium in layered chalcogenides

Date

Feb 18, 2019

Time

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Speaker

Prof. Dragan Mihailovic

Affiliation

University of Ljubljana, Jozef Stefan Institute and Department of Physics, Slowenia

Series

MPI-PKS Kolloquium

Language

en

Main Topic

Physik

Other Topics

Physik

Description

The idea that many body systems in complex materials may self-organize under highly non-equilibrium conditions suggests that entirely new emergent states with new and unexpected functionalities might be created in this way. The route for creation of such states is not limited to symmetry-breaking phase transitions, and entirely novel mechanisms may come into play. I will discuss recent experimental findings of mesoscopically textured topologically protected metastable states created through density-driven non-equilibrium transitions. Combining ultrafast optical pulse excitation with scanning tunneling microscopy under various non-equilibrium conditions we find various intertwined electronic orders and metastable amorphous electronic states stabilized in real space by non-trivial topological defects. The relaxation of these states reveals a novel state of configurational quantum electronic matter that may find its uses in ultrafast memory devices.

Last modified: Feb 18, 2019, 1:05:38 AM