CAREER: Quantum Phases and Non-Equilibrium Dynamics of Strongly Correlated Photons

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This CAREER Award supports a project aiming to describe, simulate, and predict new properties and emergent phenomena in physical systems of interacting particles of light. These particles, called photons, are abundant: visible light, radio waves, and x-rays all consist of photons. In free space, an individual photon remains essentially unaffected by the presence of additional photons. This lack of interaction renders photons the perhaps simplest fundamental particles known today. Strong interactions between photons can, however, be induced in artificial systems which confine photons to resonators and force them to interact with an additional component (e.g., an atom or a circuit made of superconducting material). The consequences of the induced interaction between photons are surprising: light can exhibit behavior usually associated with massive particles. Through this award, theoretical models for describing this new type of quantum behavior will be developed and analyzed in the context of upcoming experimental data. The primary goal of research funded by the award is to address the challenge of developing needed tools for the quantitative understanding and prediction of strongly interacting photon states and their properties.The research program will be embedded in an education plan that integrates current research, expertise in special topics of condensed matter theory, and modern teaching methods into the curriculum, and encourages undergraduate and graduate students to engage in research and outreach activities. Outreach efforts will actively contribute to several programs established in Northwestern's Office for Science Outreach and Public Engagement, and are designed to promote science literacy, raise public science engagement, and break down widely held stereotypes of science researchers.