Quantum Frontiers in
Condensed Matter & Computing

We are interested in gaining a better understanding of the physics that appears in condensed matter, and in building theoretical models that can capture this physics. For these theoretical models to be truly predictive we often have to resort to using the power of supercomputers and quantum computers, as for realistic materials the interactions of electrons, photons, and vibrating atoms are typically too complicated to allow for a pen-and-paper solution.

We have dedicated great efforts towards understanding how so-called excited electronic states in solids can be controlled, using external handles such as temperature and pressure, and have developed efficient theoretical and computational approaches for accurately obtaining the properties of these states in a wide range of materials. Some of our predictions have led to minimizing energy losses in LEDs, understanding the mechanisms of efficient energy transfer, and predicting how excited electronic states can dissociate into free electrons that may be harnessed in solar cell devices.

Moreover, we develop ways of rigorously constructing theoretical models that retain only the essential characteristics of complex materials, yet capture the physics that is relevant to applications, and are also amenable to efficient solution on quantum computers. This will allow us to understand exotic phases of matter where the interactions between electrons and atomic motion is strong, and which pose a challenge to traditional methods of studying the electronic structure of materials.