CAREER: Controlling unconventional interactions between 2D excitons and novel quantum excitations

非技术摘要：当半导体吸收光时，一些电子可以被释放，留下的空位就像带正电荷的粒子(称为空穴)。在原子薄的半导体中，电子和空穴可以相互吸引，形成坚固的束束态(称为激子)。由于激子控制着这些材料的性质，探索新的激子物理对于发展下一代半导体技术至关重要。这项研究探索由激子和其他粒子之间的强相互作用引起的新现象。研究小组通过调节激子属性来控制相互作用。这项研究可以揭示新类型的复杂激子态，并开发利用激子态传输信息的新技术。一项全面的教育和推广计划被纳入其中，向高中生和本科生介绍当前的科学研究，并帮助未被充分代表的学生继续接受高等教育。技术摘要：原子薄二维半导体是一种新的材料类别，用于基础凝聚态研究和新的应用。这些材料的光学性质主要是由具有显著性质的紧密束缚激子控制的。这项研究通过控制二维激子与三种量子态之间的相互作用来探索新的量子现象，这三种量子态包括手征声子、费米海电子空穴激发和朗道能级。与其他一些研究相对较弱和简单相互作用条件下激子的研究不同，本研究主要研究强而复杂相互作用条件下的激子，其具体实现方式是：(1)耦合到手性声子，(2)使用大激发态激子，(3)在强磁场下将激子整形成Landau轨道。在这些相互作用条件下，研究可以产生一系列奇异的量子现象，如三子和声子霍尔效应，声子-光子纠缠，激子-极化子形成，以及分数量子霍尔激子态。对这些现象的研究可以极大地提高我们对强相互作用、手征相互作用和量子纠缠条件下复杂激子动力学的理解。这项研究还可以产生用于激子传输、声子传输、能量收集和电子信息技术的新型激子和声子设备的新设计。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Nontechnical Abstract: When a semiconductor absorbs light, some electrons can be freed, and the vacancies left behind behave like particles with positive charge (called “holes”). In atomically thin semiconductors, the electrons and holes can attract each other to form robust bound states (called excitons). As the excitons govern properties of these materials, it is crucial to explore new excitonic physics to develop the next-generation semiconductor technology. This research explores novel phenomena induced by strong interactions between excitons and other particles. The research team controls the interactions by tuning the exciton properties. The research can reveal new types of complex excitonic states and develop new techniques to transmit information with the excitonic states. A comprehensive education and outreach plan is incorporated to introduce high-school and undergraduate students to current scientific research and help underrepresented students to pursue higher education in science and technology.Technical Abstract: Atomically thin two-dimensional semiconductors are a new class of materials for fundamental condensed matter research and novel applications. The optical properties of these materials are dominated by tightly bound excitons with remarkable properties. This research explores new quantum phenomena by controlling the interactions between two-dimensional excitons and three types of quantum states, including chiral phonons, Fermi-sea electron-hole excitations, and Landau levels. Unlike some other research that studies excitons in relatively weak and simple interaction conditions, this research focuses on excitons under strong and complex interaction conditions, which are specifically realized by: (1) coupling to chiral phonons, (2) using large excited-state excitons, and (3) shaping excitons into Landau orbits under high magnetic field. Under these interaction conditions, the research can bring forth a panoply of exotic quantum phenomena, such as trion and phonon Hall effect, phonon-photon entanglement, exciton-polaron formation, and fractional quantum Hall excitonic states. The study of these phenomena can greatly uplift our understanding of complex excitonic dynamics under strong, chiral, and quantum-entangled interaction conditions. The research can also lead to new designs in novel excitonic and phononic devices for excitonic transport, phonon transport, energy harvesting, and valleytronic information technology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.