The life & flow of polarons: from nonequilibrium formation and relaxation to equilibration in the thermodynamic limit
Abstract: Polarons, quasiparticles composed of an electronic excitation and the material deformation these cause in a solid or liquid, are ubiquitous. Understanding and controlling their formation, nonequilibrium relaxation, and motion are essential in developing next-generation photocatalysts, energy conversion devices, and even superconductors. In this talk, I introduce some of our recent theoretical advances that enable us to probe the exact quantum dynamics of Holstein polarons subject to dispersive phonon baths in small lattice models to the thermodynamic limit.


