Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are emerging as promising candidates for next-generation optoelectronic and quantum devices due to their unique electronic and structural properties resulting from spatial confinement and strong correlations. In the latest years, the stabilization of twisted heterostructures (HS) exhibiting well-defined Moiré superlattices has further broadened their applications thanks to the appearance of non-trivial phases characterized by interesting novel phenomena. In such systems, the dynamics of excitons and their interaction with lattice vibrations is crucial for many fundamental properties, such as carrier mobilities, quantum coherence loss, and heat dissipation. To fully understand their many-body exciton physics, responsible for strong enhancement of the lifetimes, diffusion over micrometer length scales, long valley polarization retention, one has to investigate their non-equilibrium behavior at the appropriate spatial (nanometer and micrometer) and temporal (femtoseconds and picoseconds) scales. In this project, we propose to use state-of-the-art ultrafast optical spectroscopy and ultrafast electron microscopy techniques to study the coupled carrier dynamics and non-equilibrium structural evolution in TMDs and their related HS following a tuned optical stimulus. 

The project team includes laboratories from the following Institutions:

Politecnico di Milano (Italy) / POLIMI

University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy) / UNIMIB

The team has been tailor-made in order to reach project goals as quickly and effectively as possible, but also to attain maximum impact in the scientific world and in society at large.