Max Planck Center Renews Quantum Research Collaboration for Five Years

The Max Planck-New York Center on Non-Equilibrium Quantum Phenomena has been renewed for an additional five years, with Cornell University joining as a new partner institution. This international collaboration will continue to explore the unique properties of quantum materials, building on six successful years of research. The center’s work is focused on understanding and harnessing non-equilibrium quantum phenomena, which emerge when materials are pushed beyond their stable states, resulting in new properties such as superconductivity and magnetism.

Led by Center Directors Andrew Millis and Dmitri Basov, the team will leverage the strengths of researchers at participating institutions to advance the field. The center’s research has already led to pioneering work on non-equilibrium and cavity quantum electrodynamics, ultrafast ‘on-chip’ optical and transport capabilities, and the discovery of new physical properties in quantum materials.

With the addition of Cornell University, the center will expand its research into new directions, including designing new kinds of quantum materials and bridging atomic, molecular, and optical physics with quantum materials. The collaboration involves institutions such as Columbia University, the Flatiron Institute, and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany.

Renewal of Max Planck-New York Center on Non-Equilibrium Quantum Phenomena

The Max Planck–New York Center on Non-Equilibrium Quantum Phenomena has been renewed for an additional five years, with Cornell University joining as a new partner institution. This renewal marks a significant milestone in the center’s mission to understand, control, and manipulate the unique properties of quantum materials.

The center’s research focuses on non-equilibrium quantum phenomena, which emerge when materials are pushed beyond their stable, baseline states. These phenomena result in new properties, including unique forms of superconductivity, magnetism, ferroelectricity, and more. The center’s goal is to harness these phenomena for emerging applications such as quantum computers, networks, and sensors.

The center’s research approach combines modern experimental physics methods with breakthroughs in materials synthesis, nonlinear optical and electronic spectroscopies, and cutting-edge theoretical, computational, and data science methods. This interdisciplinary approach enables researchers to gain an unprecedented understanding of quantum matter at the shortest lengths and time scales.

Scientific Achievements and Future Directions

The center has made significant scientific achievements to date, including pioneering work on non-equilibrium and cavity quantum electrodynamics, the development of new ultrafast ‘on-chip’ optical and transport capabilities, and the discovery of new physical properties and behaviors in quantum materials. The center has also developed new tools to advance its research, such as ultrafast optical scanning probe microscopy, cryogenic electronics, and teraHertz nanospectroscopy.

With the addition of Cornell University as a partner institution, the center will expand its research into new directions of quantum science. These include designing new kinds of quantum materials and bridging atomic, molecular, and optical physics with quantum materials to measure and manipulate material properties with light. The center’s research will also focus on strong light-matter coupling, dynamic control of material properties and chemical reactions, and the creation of non-equilibrium phases.

Training and Career Development

The Max Planck Center has established a seamless framework for the exchange of ideas, talent, and technologies across its partner institutions. This collaboration provides unique training opportunities, with many alumni securing prestigious global faculty positions and serving as ambassadors for the center’s research. The center particularly emphasizes supporting early career scientists, with successes including the recruitment of James McIver into a position at the MPSD and Columbia University, and the career trajectory of Ankit Disa, who moved from a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute to become a research scientist at Columbia and is now Assistant Professor at Cornell University.

International Collaboration and Events

The center’s international collaboration has enabled the organization of notable events over the years, including international conferences and workshops on superconductivity, strong light-matter interactions and catalysis, and the most recent Big Ideas workshop in San Sebastian, Spain. These events provide a platform for researchers to share their findings, discuss new ideas, and forge collaborations.

The center’s renewed focus on light-matter interfaces is complemented by its emphasis on human interfaces. As Center Director Dmitri Basov noted, “Our renewed Center is largely focused on light-matter interfaces. But our human interfaces are just as important.” The center looks forward to an exciting ride over the next five years, driven by its mission to advance the frontiers of quantum science and technology.