Probing condensed matter with space-time-synthesized light pulses

这一研究计划将集中于新型光源的开发及其在二维材料中的电光(EO)纳米传感器和拍赫兹(1 PHz=10^{15}Hz)量子电子学中的应用。通过融合结构光和阿秒社区开发的工具，我们将雕刻单周期光脉冲的时空结构，为光提供前所未有的灵活性。在对物质(如量子物质、超表面)的最终控制在量身定做光-物质相互作用方面发挥核心作用的时候，这个计划将用精确的光来补充先进材料。空间分辨电光采样(SREOS)将被用来测量合成光脉冲的时空结构。刻画光在亚周期(即阿秒，1As=10^{-18}S)时间尺度和亚波长(即纳米，1 nm=10^{-9}m)空间尺度上的光-物质相互作用细节。获得这些标尺通常需要繁琐的技术，如近场显微镜和阿秒条纹。SREOS提供的卓越数据质量和与环境实验室条件的兼容性将极大地扩展测量范围和可能产生的物理洞察。在第一个应用中，我们将开发灵敏的电光纳米传感器，其中电光信号来自对称破坏的纳米天线，并在空间上被限制在纳米体积内。利用宽带合成脉冲，我们将表征传感器的灵敏度、动态范围和光谱响应。后者将使用纳米结构几何进行定制。成像方程可以用来记录单个纳米天线收集到的场的时空演化。然后，我们将向纳米传感器施加非相干光，并以单次发射的方式灵敏地对该光进行采样。我们的目标是展示电光纳米传感器的最先进的灵敏度。在第二个方向中，我们将合成场应用于2D材质。利用SREOS，我们将对与2D材料经历极端非线性相互作用的光进行采样，从而深入了解非线性偏振响应、光-物质能量交换和电子能带结构。随后的阿秒相关电子动力学将被映射到一个微弱的中红外探测脉冲上，并通过SREOS在远场进行测量。将特别注意了解OAM等属性在塑造阿秒电子动力学中的作用。我们的目标是揭示2D材料中量子电子过程的新的基本观点，为phz量子电子器件的应用奠定基础。该项目将培训3名博士、2名硕士和5名UG学生，学习超快激光开发、纳米制造、结构光和量子物质。对工程和物理的共同重视将使学生为在加拿大的科技行业或学术界的职业生涯做好同样的准备。

This research program will focus on the development of a new class of light source and its application to electro-optic (EO) nanosensors and petahertz (1PHz = 10^{15}Hz) quantum electronics in 2D materials. By merging tools developed by the structured light and attosecond communities, we will sculpt the spatiotemporal structure of single-cycle light pulses, providing light with unprecedented flexibility. At a time when ultimate control over matter (e.g. quantum matter, metasurfaces) plays a central role in tailoring light-matter interaction, this program will complement advanced materials with precision light. Spatially resolved electro-optic sampling (SREOS) will be used to measure the spatiotemporal structure of the synthesized light pulses. Characterizing the fields that comprise light unlocks details of light-matter interaction on sub-cycle (i.e. attosecond, 1as = 10^{-18}s) timescales and subwavelength (i.e. nanometer, 1nm = 10^{-9}m) spatial scales. Access to these scales has conventionally required cumbersome techniques such as near field microscopy and attosecond streaking. The superior data quality and compatibility with ambient lab conditions afforded by SREOS will vastly expand the scope of measurements and the resulting physical insight that are possible. In a first application, we will develop sensitive EO nanosensors, where the EO signal originates from symmetry-broken nanoantennas and is spatially confined to nm volumes. Using broadband synthesized pulses, we will characterize the sensitivity, dynamic range and spectral response of the sensors. The latter will be tailored using the nanostructure geometry. Imaging EOS be used to record the spatiotemporal evolution of fields collected by individual nanoantennas. We will then apply incoherent light to the nanosensors and sensitively sample this light in a single-shot manner. We aim to demonstrate state-of-the-art sensitivity in electro-optic nanosensors. In the second direction, we will apply the synthesized fields to 2D materials. Using SREOS, we will sample light that has undergone extreme nonlinear interactions with 2D materials, providing insight into the nonlinear polarization response, light-matter energy exchange and electronic bandstructure. The ensuing attosecond correlated electron dynamics will be mapped onto a weak mid-infrared probe pulse and measured in the far-field via SREOS. Particular attention will be devoted to understanding the role of properties such as OAM in shaping attosecond electron dynamics. We aim to reveal new fundamental insight into quantum electronic processes in 2D materials, laying the foundation for PHz quantum electronic device applications. This program will train 3 PhD, 2 MSc, and 5 UG students in ultrafast laser development, nanofabrication, structured light and quantum matter. The joint emphasis on engineering and physics will prepare the students equally for careers in Canada's technology industry or academia.