JQI Seminar - Hui Deng

Speaker:  Hui Deng (University of Michigan)
Title:  New Regimes of Coherent Light-Matter Interaction in Van Der Waals Materials
Abstract:  Van der Waals materials have emerged as a revolutionary platform for photonics, offering a
unique combination of direct-bandgap semiconductor properties and unprecedented flexibility
for heterostructure integration. These materials exhibit simultaneously strong optical responses
and unusual physical properties that enable access to coherent light-matter interaction regimes
previously considered inaccessible in traditional bulk materials.
In this talk, we will discuss a few examples, including the observation of collective Lamb shift 1
and achievement of perfect absorption 2 within a same monolayer, the development of
unconventional types of strong-coupling systems with unique properties 3–5 , and an approach
that utilizes some of the novel effects to enable a dynamic matter-light hybrid Chern insulator 6,7 .
These advances open new pathways to next generation photonic devices and quantum
technologies.
1. Horng, J. et al. Engineering radiative coupling of excitons in 2D semiconductors. Optica 6, 1443
(2019).
2. Horng, J. et al. Perfect Absorption by an Atomically Thin Crystal. Phys. Rev. Appl. 14, 024009 (2020).
3. Zhang, L., Gogna, R., Burg, W., Tutuc, E. & Deng, H. Photonic-crystal exciton-polaritons in monolayer
semiconductors. Nat. Commun. 9, 713 (2018).
4. Zhang, L. et al. Van der Waals heterostructure polaritons with moiré-induced nonlinearity. Nature
591, 61–65 (2021).
5. Li, Q. et al. Two-Dimensional Magnetic Exciton Polariton with Strongly Coupled Atomic and Photonic
Anisotropies. Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 266901 (2024).
6. Zhou, L. et al. Cavity Floquet engineering. Nat. Commun. 15, 7782 (2024).
7. Xie, X., Sun, K. & Deng, H. Polariton Chern Bands in 2D Photonic Crystals beyond Dirac Cones. Phys.
Rev. X 15, 021061 (2025).

Bio:
Hui Deng is a Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor. Her research centers on the creation, control, and application of single- and many-body
quantum states in matter-light coupled systems, with an overarching goal of developing robust
quantum systems for future technology. She received her BS in Modern Applied Physics from
Tsinghua University, followed by an MS in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Applied Physics
from Stanford University. She is a recipient of the NSF Career Awards, AFOSR Young
Investigator Awards, and the Humboldt Foundation Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award.
She is a fellow of APS and Optica.


*You will need to bring your cell phone, so you can sign in using the NEW QR code outside of ATL 2400.  You will need to submit your first and last name, email, affiliation, and are you visiting (y/n) on a form by 11:15am to be able to get lunch after the seminar.  Lunch is first come, first served.* 


At 4pm, there will be a tea in ATL 2117 for our speaker and students/postdocs - this is a chance to ask questions directly to our speaker. Refreshments will be served.