Presented By: CM-AMO Seminars
CM-AMO Seminar | One Century of Quantum Science and the Future: Next-generation Quantum Materials, Ultrafast Physics, Moiré Lattice Design and Beyond the Standard Model
Jose L. Mendoza-Cortes (Michigan State University)
A hundred years after the birth of quantum mechanics, we now possess atomic-scale “knobs”: twist, stack, strain, and light, that allow us to program matter. This talk surveys how these knobs enable qualitatively new regimes in quantum materials, with two complementary thrusts that bridge fundamental discovery and deployable technology.
Part I: Ultrafast and moiré engineering. We show how terahertz (THz) fields provide a dynamic, non-contact gate to steer charge, spin, and surface morphology at sub-Å length scales and femtosecond timescales, enabling reversible, ultrafast control of surface topology and interfacial potentials. [1] We then present design rules for controlling band topology, excitonic structure, and interlayer hybridization in 2D bilayers and heterostructures, using twist angle and stacking registry as primary control parameters. [2, 3]
Part II: Quantum materials as precision sensors for fundamental symmetries. We outline a solid-state platform that couples diamond colour centres to rare, octupole-deformed nuclei to search for symmetry-violating electric dipole moments (EDMs) beyond the Standard Model. [4] Our quantum calculations indicates that substituting 229Pa into a carbon-vacancy site yields deep-gap, molecule-like states with narrow optical transitions and long spin coherence, amenable to high-fidelity readout. Isoelectronic lanthanide proxies (e.g., Pr3+, Tb3+) provide non-radioactive testbeds for growth and spectroscopy prior to implantation. The resulting roadmap links rare-isotope production (e.g., FRIB) with nanophotonic integration and laser control to create scalable, solid-state quantum sensors for EDM searches, nuclear clock development, and time-reversal tests.
Outlook. By uniting moiré design, ultrafast field control, and defect–nucleus co-engineering, we propose a materials-by-design paradigm that both honors and extends a century of quantum science; advancing ultrafast electronics while opening precision windows onto new physics.
References
[1] V. Jelic, S. Adams, D. Maldonado-Lopez, I. A. Buliyaminu, M. Hassan, J. L. Mendoza-Cortes, and T. L. Cocker, Terahertz field control of surface topology probed with subatomic resolution, Nature Photonics, pp. 1–8, 2025.
[2] Y.-H. Lin, W. P. Comaskey, and J. L. Mendoza-Cortes, How Can We Engineer Electronic Transitions Through Twisting and Stacking in TMDC Bilayers and Heterostructures? A First-Principles Approach, Nanoscale Advances, 2025.
[3] Y.-C. Lin, R. Torsi, R. Younas, C. L. Hinkle, A. F. Rigosi, H. M. Hill, K. Zhang, S. Huang, C. E. Shuck, C. Chen, et al., Recent Advances in 2D Material Theory, Synthesis, Properties, and Applications, ACS Nano, 2023.
[4] I. M. Morris, K. Klink, J. T. Singh, J. L. Mendoza-Cortes, S. S. Nicley, and J. N. Becker, Rare isotope-containing diamond colour centres for fundamental symmetry tests, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, vol. 382, no. 2265, Art. no. 20230169, 2024.
Part I: Ultrafast and moiré engineering. We show how terahertz (THz) fields provide a dynamic, non-contact gate to steer charge, spin, and surface morphology at sub-Å length scales and femtosecond timescales, enabling reversible, ultrafast control of surface topology and interfacial potentials. [1] We then present design rules for controlling band topology, excitonic structure, and interlayer hybridization in 2D bilayers and heterostructures, using twist angle and stacking registry as primary control parameters. [2, 3]
Part II: Quantum materials as precision sensors for fundamental symmetries. We outline a solid-state platform that couples diamond colour centres to rare, octupole-deformed nuclei to search for symmetry-violating electric dipole moments (EDMs) beyond the Standard Model. [4] Our quantum calculations indicates that substituting 229Pa into a carbon-vacancy site yields deep-gap, molecule-like states with narrow optical transitions and long spin coherence, amenable to high-fidelity readout. Isoelectronic lanthanide proxies (e.g., Pr3+, Tb3+) provide non-radioactive testbeds for growth and spectroscopy prior to implantation. The resulting roadmap links rare-isotope production (e.g., FRIB) with nanophotonic integration and laser control to create scalable, solid-state quantum sensors for EDM searches, nuclear clock development, and time-reversal tests.
Outlook. By uniting moiré design, ultrafast field control, and defect–nucleus co-engineering, we propose a materials-by-design paradigm that both honors and extends a century of quantum science; advancing ultrafast electronics while opening precision windows onto new physics.
References
[1] V. Jelic, S. Adams, D. Maldonado-Lopez, I. A. Buliyaminu, M. Hassan, J. L. Mendoza-Cortes, and T. L. Cocker, Terahertz field control of surface topology probed with subatomic resolution, Nature Photonics, pp. 1–8, 2025.
[2] Y.-H. Lin, W. P. Comaskey, and J. L. Mendoza-Cortes, How Can We Engineer Electronic Transitions Through Twisting and Stacking in TMDC Bilayers and Heterostructures? A First-Principles Approach, Nanoscale Advances, 2025.
[3] Y.-C. Lin, R. Torsi, R. Younas, C. L. Hinkle, A. F. Rigosi, H. M. Hill, K. Zhang, S. Huang, C. E. Shuck, C. Chen, et al., Recent Advances in 2D Material Theory, Synthesis, Properties, and Applications, ACS Nano, 2023.
[4] I. M. Morris, K. Klink, J. T. Singh, J. L. Mendoza-Cortes, S. S. Nicley, and J. N. Becker, Rare isotope-containing diamond colour centres for fundamental symmetry tests, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, vol. 382, no. 2265, Art. no. 20230169, 2024.
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