Materials science forms the foundation for advancement in modern technologies. The advent of quantum simulation to supplant the need for trial and error of experimental material discovery or large-scale supercomputer simulations for seemingly simple molecules is altogether appealing. However, the near-term prospects of useful noisy intermediate-scale quantum technologies is limited. An alternative paradigm, termed quantum emulation, proposes to map difficult problems to simplified lattice models which describe the relevant physics. My research focuses on the integration of monolayer van der Waals materials onto patterned, foundry-compatible dielectric materials for study of the interaction between optical transitions, provided by the van der Waals materials, and the electromagnetic field, provided by incident laser light. The inherent scalability of the platform lends itself to the practical implementation of lattice models for quantum emulation of world-changing materials science.
Advisor: Arka Majumdar – Electrical & Computer Engineering