Liam Gallagher (Durham University, QLM)
Rydberg excitons: beyond cuprous oxide
Rydberg excitons (highly excited bound states of electrons and holes in semiconductors) have attracted interest over the last 10 years due to their promise to allow Rydberg physics to be realised in a solid-state setting [1]. To date, most of the research has been performed in one material, cuprous oxide [2,3]. But is this the best material?
In this talk I will introduce the concept of excitons and compare excitonic properties between materials, with a particular focus on what makes materials good for studying Rydberg excitons. I will discuss the current progress on Rydberg excitons in cuprous oxide, before introducing my new project, which looks at a new material for studying these states. I will finish by discussing my plans for this material over the next few years and its potential applications.
[1] Adv. Quantum Technol., 3: 1900134 (2020) [2] Phys. Rev. Research 4, 013031 (2022) [3] Nature Materials 21, 767–772 (2022)