IRG 2: Hybrid Quantum Materials
with Emergent Terahertz Functionalities (HQ-METs)

MOTIVATION & IMPACT

Terahertz (THz) electromagnetic radiation could be a powerful tool for applications like biomedical and security screening. However, THz technologies significantly lag those in other wavelength ranges (i.e. Radio Frequency, visible, or near-infrared photonics). This is fundamentally a materials challenge: there is no single material platform that is simultaneously a good source, waveguide, and detector for THz excitations.

KEY CHALLENGE:
Material platforms tend to be well-suited for one THz functionality (e.g. sources, waveguides, or detectors) and poorly suited for others.

VISION:
Understanding and controlling the integration of different material classes allows transduction of THz frequency excitations across the interfaces (Aim 1), control of emergent THz functionality (Aim 2), and creation of hybridized states with fundamentally new properties (Aim 3).