Solids under Intense Laser Pulses: An avenue for quantum technologies

The ability to manipulate electrons in solids with the intense laser pulse enables unprecedented control over the electronic motion on its intrinsic timescale. The desired control over electronic dynamics opens unexplored paths for realizing quantum devices operating at petahertz speed. In the first part of my talk, I will discuss how valley-selective excitation in graphene with zero bandgap can be achieved by an all-optical means. By tailoring the waveforms of the laser pulses to the symmetry of the graphene’s sub-lattice, it is possible to induce and read valley polarization in 2D materials, including graphene -- a medium where light-driven valleytronics was thought to be impossible.  Later, I  will show how intense laser-driven electron dynamics in a Weyl semimetal have many intriguing features.