LOTUS · Lightwave-driven spatio-temporal metrology of transition-metal oxides

Insulator to metal phase transitions in transition metal oxides are among the most striking phenomena of strong electron correlations where collective interactions trigger ultrafast and nanoscale changes in both electronic and structural order. These transitions are of fundamental scientific importance and hold great promise for future information technologies such as resistive switching memories that could enable faster operation and improved energy efficiency compared to semiconductor devices. Yet insulator to metal transitions remain poorly understood because they evolve on femtosecond timescales and nanometer length scales which continues to challenge both experiment and theory. With my MSCA project LOTUS, I will uncover the microscopic mechanisms of insulator to metal transitions by resolving their dynamics simultaneously in space and time. This requires advancing experimental methods that integrate ultrafast spectroscopy with nanoscale imaging capable of capturing correlated electrons in space and in time. By establishing a fundamental understanding of conductivity switching driven purely by electron correlations LOTUS will address one of the central challenges in condensed matter physics and lay the foundation for oxide-based electronics. The project will demonstrate how harnessing these transitions can transform a long-standing scientific puzzle into a platform for novel device concepts.