My group works at the interface between chemical and condensed-matter physics and aims to develop relatively simple theoretical models in order to get insight into chemical processes. One of our main focuses has been on quantum far-from-equilibrium dynamics of molecules in solvents, describing which pushes the limits of state-of-the-art computational techniques. Recently we have shown that the description of molecular rotation in a quantum environment (be it a solvent, a crystal lattice, or an ultracold gas) can be drastically simplified by introducing a new quasiparticle, that we termed the “angulon” [1,2]. Soon thereafter we have shown that molecules rotating in superfluid helium-4 can be described as angulons in good agreement with experiment, both in and out of equilibrium [3,4,5]. In my talk, I am going to introduce the concept of angulon quasiparticles and to demonstrate how complex problems of far-from-equilibrium many-body dynamics can be tackled using this concept. In addition, I aim to show that using simple theoretical models allows to bridge seemingly disconnected fields of research, such as spectroscopy of molecules in solvents and non-equilibrium magnetism in solids.
Literature: [1] R. Schmidt, M. Lemeshko, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 203001 (2015); [2] R. Schmidt, M. Lemeshko, Phys. Rev. X 6, 011012 (2016); [3] M. Lemeshko, Phys. Rev. Lett., 118, 095301 (2017); [4] B. Shepperson et. al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 203203 (2017); [5] Cherepanov et. al. arXiv:1906.12238.
2007 – 2011 PhD at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Berlin, Germany
2011 – 2014 ITAMP Postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University
2014 – 2019 Assistant Professor (tenure-track) at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria Since 2019 Full Professor (with tenure) at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria