Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in quantum materials

• Grant number: 25/02189-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Felix Guillermo Gonzalez Hernandez
• Grantee: Mayara Miranda Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/12470-8 - Research in quantum materiais involving intense magnetic fields and low temperatures, AP.TEM

Abstract

In recent years, there has been growing interest in materials where quantum effects manifest across a wide range of energies and length scales. These materials, known as quantum materials, include superconductors, graphene, topological insulators, Weyl semimetals, quantum spin liquids, and spin ices. We plan to study the optical conductivity-that is, the conductivity as a function of the frequency of the light's electric field-using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in these systems. Specifically, our research will focus on the terahertz response in topological insulators composed of double HgTe quantum wells (2D systems) and PbSnTe thin films (crystalline topological insulators).