In this multiscale light-matter dynamics simulation, a flash of laser light creates excited electron and hole wave functions at sub-angstrom length scales. The motion of these wave functions, in turn, drives the dynamics of topological features extending across thousands of angstroms.

The team’s study, “Multiscale Light-Matter Dynamics in Quantum Materials: From Electrons to Topological Superlattices,” has been recognized as a finalist for the ACM’s 2025 Gordon Bell Prize.