Quantum materials host a wide range of many-body and topological phenomena that are promising for next-generation technologies. From unconventional superconductivity to topologically protected edge modes, the remarkable physics of quantum materials emerges from the complex interactions between spin, charge, lattice, orbital degrees of freedom and the topological aspects of their wave functions. These materials host multiple quantum phases that can be independently accessed by external perturbations such as electromagnetic fields, pressure, strain, and chemical doping. The search for new ways to create and control their macroscopic properties keeps improving our fundamental understanding of the interactions among the underlying degrees of freedom, which in turn may lead to new functionalities. One promising route to understand and control quantum materials is through ultrafast light-matter interactions. Photoinduced nonequilibrium states have functionally relevant properties which are not accessible at thermal equilibrium. Given the scale of recent developments and activity in this field, this symposium aims at promoting communication among researchers investigating theoretically and experimentally (i) the fundamental linear and nonlinear optical properties of quantum materials using ultrafast spectroscopy, (ii) their fabrication by using physical and chemical approaches and (iii) their applications in different areas of materials science, condensed matter physics, and device engineering for photonics, optoelectronics and quantum technologies.

The symposium will primarily focus on ultrafast light-matter interactions to control the macroscopic properties of van der Waals materials, including - but not limited to - 2D heterostructures and strongly correlated systems. We will focus on the experimental and theoretical aspects for the investigation of a variety of nonequilibrium effects, such as electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions in exciton and spin dynamics. Finally, we will also discuss different approaches for synthesizing quantum materials at the nanoscale, and for exploring dynamical decoupling of microscopic degrees of freedom, light-induced magnetization and superconductivity, photon-dressed topological states, as well as nonlinear optical effects in ultracompact systems.

2D materials chemical vapor deposition (CVD) (deposition) crystal growth metamaterial nonlinear effects optical properties quantum materials spectroscopy