| Abstract: | Recent advances show that embedding solids within electromagnetic cavities can modify the
ground state even in the absence of illumination. Hyperbolic van der Waals (vdW) materials,
which provide dielectric environments with strongly enhanced photonic density of states, have
recently emerged as a candidate platform for realizing such cavity effects in heterostructures. In
this talk, I will present an experimental realization of a cavity-coupled superconducting ground
state, spatially resolved by magnetic force microscopy. This implemantation, utilizes a vdW
material (hBN) as the cavity. Molecular resonances in the superconductor hybridize with the
hyperbolic cavity modes to produce an altered ground state, which is probed by magnetic force
microscopy. I will also discuss how new cavity platforms could offer previously inaccessible
control over the interaction between the cavity and the target material. Together, these
approaches outline a pathway toward tailoring cavity-coupled ground states. |