Condensed Matter Seminars

Rapid and efficient charge transfer following absorption of light is a process of intense interest from the
perspectives of both fundamental physics and optoelectronic applications. Among the exciting systems which
host charge transfer are photosynthetic reaction centers (RC), proteins packed with light-absorbing molecules
which yield a charge separated state with near unity quantum efficiency, and Transition Metal Dichalcogenide
Heterostructures (TMD HS), which host interlayer charge transfer to form spatially separated interlayer
excitons. Despite intense interest in understanding charge transfer in these systems, their complex electronic
structure and the ultrafast timescales of their dynamics have presented a significant challenge in clearly
resolving the underlying fundamental physics. Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy (2DES) is a nonlinear
optical spectroscopic technique with simultaneously high frequency and temporal resolution and is an ideal
tool for studying systems with complex electronic structure and femtosecond-timescale dynamics. In this talk I
will present on my work applying 2DES to resolving the excitonic structure of photosynthetic RCs as well as
resolving ultrafast interlayer exciton dynamics in TMD HS.