RESEARCH

Optics of Quantum Materials

Our lab uses both far-field and near-field spectroscopy to study the electronic properties of materials. The far-field optics lab features a Bruker vertex 80v infrared spectrometer that covers the spectral range between 5 meV and 4.4 eV. This setup is mainly used to perform detailed temperature dependent studies using a dedicated optical cryostat. A recent addition is an 8 Tesla optical magnet, which is directly connected to the vertex 80v.

Unconventional superconductors like cuprates, iron-pnictides and heavy fermion superconductors are examples of emergent states of matter that derive their amazing properties from the collective behaviour of interacting electrons. Our group combines transport experiments, ARPES and optical spectroscopy to provide fundamental insight in the interactions leading to superconducting instabilities. Recently, our focus has shifted to the so-called strange metal phase of the high Tc cuprates using optical and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopies.

Topological insulators are a new phase of quantum matter that emerges due to topological twists in the band structure of some materials. Discovered in 2008 in a single material, topological phases of matter now appear to be a pervasive feature of nature. The ideas underpinning the field are now applied in a diversity of topics ranging from acoustics to engineering and from electronics to photonics.