Machine-learning quantum surrogate models to simulate energy transport across interfaces

Modern technologies such as photocatalysis or laser nanolithography involve energy transfer across interfaces. Many critical societal challenges require that we transfer light or electronic energy more efficiently into chemical energy, e.g., to utilize CO2 as renewable fuel. To achieve this, we need to understand the mechanisms behind the intricate dynamics that unfold at interfaces. Quantum mechanical simulations provide electronic-structure insights but are computationally intractable for relevant systems. The aim of this project is to create and apply machine learning models that emulate the quantum mechanical interaction of light, electrons, and atoms for many thousands of atoms at realistic interfaces.