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Welcome to the Walther group at Purdue University!

Our group has research interests that lie at the intersection of theoretical atomic physics, quantum optics and condensed matter physics. A main topic in our research are highly excited Rydberg states and their long-ranged interactions, both in atomic systems and in semiconductors. We investigate how Rydberg states interact with their environment, how their interactions can be effectively described and how they can be used to control the flow of photons. These questions bring us in contact with many exciting questions at the forefront of quantum metrology, quantum optics and quantum computing, such as: How does quantum light propagate through a material? How can fragile quantum many-body states be probed without destroying them? How can we control single photons and implement quantum logical operations with them?

If you are interested in learning more about our research or would like to join the group, have a look at our research and send an email to Valentin Walther, vwalther@purdue.edu.

News

August 2024

The team will be supported by an NSF grant from the PHYS-AMO Theory section!

August 2024

In-vivo control study of exctions in monolayered semiconductors published (arXiv:2407.11252)! Collaboration with Harvard teams Lukin, Park, Kim.

August 2024

Discovery of a light-mediated molecule bond published in PRX Quantum, together with Simon Hollerith and Bloch group (MPQ)!

July 2024

Exploration of the fate of two-dimensional quantum vortex in a BEC published together with Hung group, arXiv:2406.00863

December 2023

New paper about semiconductor purification appeared in Nat. Comm. 14, 8235. Collaboration with semiconductor team at TU Dortmund.

November 2023

New preprint about pattern formation in driven-dissipative systems on the arXiv! Collaboration with Hadiseh Alaeian [now published in Phys. Rev. Res.]

November 2023

Shiva Kant and Shibalik present their research at Etic-Tlahuilli Polariton Meeting, Mexico City

October 2023

Hiram presents his work about collective effects in continuous media at Les Houches "Quantum physics with photons and atoms"

August 2023

New preprint with Purdue experimentalists Christian Lange, Emma Daggett, Libai Huang and Jon Hood on collective emitter states on the arXiv:2308.08037! [now published in Nat. Phys.]

August 2023

Dhiya Varghese joins the group for one year on a SERB fellowship to study Rydberg macrodimers with us!

July 2023

Ishmam Mohtashim joins the group for a ZYRO-year summer research project!

July 2023

Project on quantum light from Rydberg excitons (collaboration with Anders Sørensen) accepted in PRL!

June 2023

Graduate students Hiram Berrios, Shibalik Lahiri and Furqan Hashmi join the group!

June 2023

Shiva Kant Tiwari joins the group as a postdoc!

January 2023

Group starting in January 2023 at Purdue University!

November 2022

Graduate student Micai Benford joins the group!