Phase Transitions and Topological Transport in Floquet-Bloch systems

Time-periodic driving serves as a promising tool for exploring new phases of quantum matter In particular, it can be used to induce topological phenomena in conventional, non-topological systems. In this talk, I will discuss semiconductors driven with a resonant coherent light – necessary ingredients for the creation of Floquet topological insulators. I will analyze the steady-states emergent in such systems in the presence of natural dissipation mechanisms including phonon-relaxation, photo-emission and Auger processes, as well as coupling to external leads. I will show that despite the highly non-equilibrium nature of these systems, by judicially choosing the properties of the external environments, their steady states can exhibit some of the hallmark phenomena of contemporary condensed matter: topological transport and phase transitions.