abovEF: A New Frontier in Electronic States Exploration
We are excited to announce that Giacomo Ghiringhelli has been awarded an Advanced Grant from the Fondo Italiano per la Scienza (FIS) for the abovEF project. This prestigious funding will allow our research group to establish a cutting-edge laboratory dedicated to the study of electronic states in quantum materials.
By combining angle-resolved direct and inverse photoemission spectroscopy, we will achieve an unprecedented level of precision in mapping the electronic band structure of solids around the Fermi level.
The key innovation of abovEF lies in its ability to probe unoccupied electronic states above the Fermi level—a largely unexplored yet crucial component in determining the electronic and magnetic properties of materials. Unlike occupied states below the Fermi level, which are naturally populated by electrons, unoccupied states require precise electron injection for observation—a process that is technically challenging.
Inverse photoemission spectroscopy was originally developed several decades ago and then largely abandoned due to severe technical difficulties that limited the quality of the measurements. With abovEF, we aim to enhance the energy resolution by a factor of 10 and the sensitivity by a factor of 100, setting a new benchmark for this technique. This breakthrough will enable us to conduct experiments with unprecedented clarity and precision.
While our approach can be applied to a wide range of materials, abovEF will focus on two particularly exciting areas: two-dimensional quantum materials and high-temperature superconductors. These systems are at the forefront of condensed matter physics, and our research will provide fundamental insights into their electronic structures.
By pushing the boundaries of photoemission spectroscopy, abovEF will open up new possibilities for understanding and engineering quantum materials, paving the way for future technological advancements.
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