CAREER: Engineering order in frustrated quantum materials via strong light-matter coupling

Non-technical abstract: Quantum materials hold extraordinary promise for next-generation technologies. However, many of these materials exhibit quantum frustration, in which competing forces prevent them from settling into useful states with technologically relevant magnetic, electronic, and topological properties. This project investigates how using ultrafast laser pulses to control frustrated quantum materials can relieve frustration and access new quantum phases that are inaccessible under normal conditions. These advances have far-reaching implications for quantum sensing technologies, ultrafast electronic and spintronic devices for switching and storage, and energy-efficient materials with unconventional transport properties, furthering the Nation's leadership in quantum and microelectronics technology. The vertically integrated education program, spanning high school through undergraduate education, addresses the critical national shortage of quantum-trained workers. The principal investigator redesigns introductory physics courses to make quantum concepts accessible to non-physics majors, establishes a Quantum Physics Bootcamp to provide early research preparation for undergraduates, develops hands-on quantum research activities for high school students, and creates paid six-month research internships for undergraduate students. These initiatives prioritize early engagement, sustained mentorship, and authentic research experience, building inclusive pathways into quantum science careers. Educational materials and curriculum resources developed through this project will be made openly available for adaptation at community colleges and primarily undergraduate institutions nationwide. Technical abstract: Quantum frustration occurs when competing interactions prevent systems from simultaneously minimizing all energy terms, leading to exotic fluctuating ground states but suppressing functional long-range order. This project investigates how strong light-matter coupling can dynamically relieve quantum frustration in strongly correlated materials, thereby stabilizing far-from-equilibrium ordered phases. The research addresses fundamental questions about how order parameters emerge from dynamically tuned quantum fluctuations, what properties these induced phases inherit from the fluctuating state, and whether equilibrium descriptions of critical phenomena apply in driven systems. The research targets three classes of frustrated materials: Kitaev quantum spin liquid candidates, geometrically frustrated antiferromagnets, and orbitally frustrated spinel oxides. The research team deploys two complementary driving mechanisms: Floquet engineering, with optical pulses and photonic cavity coupling, and nonlinear phononic engineering, leveraging resonant terahertz excitations. The research develops comprehensive time-resolved spectroscopy capabilities, including time-resolved rotational anisotropy second-harmonic generation and time-resolved momentum microscopy, and systematic nanofabrication of optical cavities at Northeastern University. These in-house tools are complemented by time-resolved experiments at free-electron laser beamlines. Success demonstrates light-matter interaction as a mechanism for controlling frustration and engineering inaccessible quantum phases, establishes understanding of non-equilibrium phase transitions beyond Landau-Ginzburg theory, and creates new ordered states in frustrated systems. The work establishes new avenues for deploying strong light-matter coupling in frustrated systems toward quantum sensing and ultrafast switching applications. 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. NSF Award ID: 2542809 | Program: 01002930DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT,01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT,01003031DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Alberto De la Torre Duran | Institution: Northeastern University, BOSTON, MA | Award Amount: $434,925 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2542809 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2542809.html