Towards atomic scale imaging of non-equilibrium correlated states

A new microscope will try to capture snapshots of electrons in fleeting, unstable states of matter that last only trillionths of a second. These so-called non-equilibrium phases—where materials are pushed far from their normal resting state—could host entirely new electronic properties, but they vanish too quickly for existing instruments to image clearly. The problem is that shining light to create these states often just heats the sample instead, and combining fast laser pulses with a scanning probe that can see individual atoms has proven technically difficult. This project gives the lead researcher time to visit labs that have already solved parts of the puzzle, then design and build a pump-probe scanning probe microscope capable of imaging electrons in these short-lived phases. If successful, the instrument would let scientists directly observe how electrons behave when driven out of equilibrium, potentially revealing unconventional superconductivity or other quantum phenomena that could one day underpin ultra-fast electronics or new computing architectures. For now, this is fundamental science: building a tool to see what no one has seen before, rather than delivering a practical device.