Optical engineering of quantum materials

Periodic driving with electromagnetic fields is a powerful technique for manipulating quantum materials. By dynamically tuning the interaction parameters of a Hamiltonian, exotic out-of-equilibrium phases of matter with broken symmetries and topological properties can potentially be realized. This technique also has exciting implications for quantum science: driving protocols developed for quantum materials may be applied to synthetic quantum systems, and the resulting phases may be leveraged for quantum information, simulation, and sensing. However, overcoming challenges such as minimizing heating and maintaining coherence is essential to unlocking the full potential for optically engineering quantum materials. In this talk, I will share our recent progress in addressing these challenges in strongly correlated magnetic insulators and present preliminary evidence of non-thermal structural and magnetic phenomena induced by off-resonant periodic driving in high-quality single crystals.