Brookhaven Lecture

Ultrafast optical microscopy has emerged as a powerful technique for investigating light-driven phenomena in low-dimensional semiconductors such as zero-dimensional quantum dots, one-dimensional nanorods, and atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials. With this technique, scientists can study the behavior and optimize the functionality of these nanomaterials for applications including renewable energy production and storage, ultrasensitive light detection, and quantum information science (QIS). The functionality of these materials under light exposure can relate to charge transfer and energy transfer—two processes that dictate material performance at large.
In this lecture, I will highlight ultrafast optical microscopy methods developed at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) over the past decade and I will describe the successful application of these methods to studies of interfacial charge transfer and energy transfer in semiconducting heteronanostructures. In particular, I will focus on heteronanostructures assembled from quantum dots and 2D materials and aimed at applications related to solar energy harvesting and light detection. I will share my perspective on future development of the CFN ultrafast optical facility to support quantum materials characterization and ultimately advance QIS research.