In this seminar, I review and celebrate the breakthrough of this technique into the temperature and spatial scales relevant to fundamental studies of quantum materials. I showcase seminal investigations of collective excitations in 2-dimensional media like graphene, electronic phase competition in correlated electron solids including transition metal oxides, and on-demand control of optical properties in strongly interacting materials. I will share my perspectives for the future of nano-spectroscopy of quantum materials, a future that is simultaneously ultra-bright and ultra-small, and fundamentally transformative for the study of complex matter at nanometer scales.
