Recent advances in cavity quantum electrodynamics have opened a new frontier in condensed matter physics: the ability to engineer and control material properties using quantum vacuum fluctuations rather than classical driving fields. This emerging field of cavity quantum materials explores how the electromagnetic vacuum, when structured by optical or microwave cavities, can qualitatively reshape electronic, magnetic, and phases of matter.
This session will bring together theorists and experimentalists working at the intersection of quantum optics, condensed matter physics, and materials science to discuss fundamental mechanisms, novel phenomena, and future directions of vacuum-enabled quantum control. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• Vacuum-fluctuation engineering of superconductivity and correlated phases
• Cavity-modified band structure and topology
• Cavity-induced symmetry breaking and phase transitions
• Strong and ultrastrong light-matter coupling in solids
• Casimir effects of quantum materials
• Collective many-body effects in cavity-embedded quantum materials


• Motivation and Impact:
  Unlike conventional optical control, cavity vacuum engineering offers a route to manipulate quantum materials without strong external driving or heating, enabling access to fragile low-temperature and topological phases. As experimental capabilities rapidly mature --- from superconducting circuits to solid-state microcavities --- this field is poised to become a foundational direction in next-generation quantum materials research. This session aims to define the intellectual landscape of cavity quantum materials, foster cross-community interaction, and accelerate the development of this emerging discipline.