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40th annual Yunker lecture: “Driving quantum matter out of equilibrium”

By Hannah Ashton

Physicist and computation materials scientist Prineha Narang will present the 40th annual Yunker Lecture, “Driving quantum matter out of equilibrium,” focused on the dynamic interplay of quantum systems far from equilibrium.

Taking place on Thursday, Feb. 20 in the LaSells Stewart Center, the lecture will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a light reception beforehand at 4:30 p.m.

Nature’s most fascinating phenomena occur far from equilibrium — from the swirling storms of Jupiter to the dance of quasiparticles in quantum systems. While textbooks might portray physics through the lens of equilibrium, our Universe is dynamic, perpetually seeking but never reaching balance. This lecture will discuss both fundamentals of nonequilibrium dynamics in quantum matter and applications of these in quantum devices.

Advances in theoretical understanding and computational approaches to correlated states in quantum matter, paired with leading experiments in ultrafast nonlinear optical spectroscopy now allow us to reveal emergent states created by strongly non-equilibrium external drives. Following a pedagogical introduction to these advances, this lecture will present the latest results in accessing observables in nonequilibrium interactions with coupled dynamics of spins, nuclei, and light.

Prineha Narang is a professor in physical sciences, and in electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to moving, she was an assistant professor of computational materials science in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University.

Her group, the NarangLab, works across areas of quantum materials, non-equilibrium phenomena, and quantum information science. In 2023 she was appointed a U.S. Science Envoy by the State Department; she was reappointed to the role in 2024. Narang is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). Her work has been recognized by many awards and special designations, including the 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship in Physics, a Maria Goeppert Mayer Award from the APS, 2022 Outstanding Early Career Investigator Award from the Materials Research Society, Mildred Dresselhaus Prize, Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, a Max Planck Award from the Max Planck Society, and more.

With a longstanding tradition since 1985, the Department of Physics Yunker Lecture was established in honor of Edwin Yunker, an Oregon State University physics professor (1925-68) and department chair (1949-66), by his wife, Gertrude and sustained by other family members through the years to ensure outstanding physicists presented lectures on specific areas of expertise for a general audience.

Learn more about cutting-edge physics research and education at Oregon State.


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