As physicists, much of our work is tied to concepts of symmetry and order. My subfield, condensed matter physics, considers the powerful physical effects that manifest from the exquisite tessellations of the atomic lattice structure. The technique I use in my research, known as Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES), works through a phenomenon known as the photoelectric effect, the discovery of which won Einstein his Nobel prize. ARPES can help physicists directly visualize the “bands” that the electrons in crystalline materials inhabit by taking pictures. This tool and the imagery it creates can provide insights into the properties – such as being conducting or insulating – that the system should have. Taking this one step further, my work pairs this spatially-periodic crystalline framework with its time-periodic partner: Floquet’s theorem. Disturbing the system in the manner prescribed by Floquet’s theory will cause the underlying electronic band structure, shown in the central image, to be repeated infinitely in both the axes of energy and momentum. To express the beauty of this periodicity, I borrowed from another passion of mine – sewing. This element of repetition felt reminiscent of a quilt. Thus, out of this patchwork of data, comes the Floquet-Quilt.
