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  • Photo-induced superconductivity
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Photo-induced superconductivity

Photo-induced superconductivity is where light is used to induce superconducting-like states in materials.

If we can learn more about the mechanisms behind this phenomenon, we can more intentionally design a room-temp superconductor.

Key Experimental Findings:

  1. First discovered in cuprate superconductors (like YBa₂Cu₃O₆.5) when excited with specific wavelengths of infrared light

  2. Later observed in other materials including:

    • Organic molecular crystals (particularly K₃C₆₀)

    • Rare-earth nickelates

    • Certain quantum materials

Common Features:

  • Usually triggered by mid-infrared or terahertz pulses that target specific lattice vibrations

  • The effect often appears at temperatures well above the material's normal superconducting transition temperature

  • Shows characteristic superconducting properties like perfect conductivity and Meissner-like diamagnetic response

Timescales:

  • Early experiments showed effects lasting only femtoseconds to picoseconds

  • Recent work has achieved longer-lived states in the nanosecond regime

    Evidence for metastable photo-induced superconductivity in K3C60

    PDF file

    Authors make use of a new optical device to drive metallic K3C60 with mid-infrared pulses of tunable duration, ranging between one picosecond and one nanosecond. The same superconducting-like optical properties observed over short time windows for femtosecond excitation are shown here to become metastable under sustained optical driving, with lifetimes in excess of ten nanoseconds.

    10mo
  • The holy grail would be achieving stable room-temperature superconductivity through this mechanism

Current Understanding of Mechanisms:

  • Light can modify the crystal structure through targeted excitation of phonon modes

  • This structural modification can enhance electron pairing

  • The exact mechanism is still debated, with competing theories about:

    • Phonon-mediated coupling

    • Enhanced electron correlations

    • Modified electronic structure

    • Dynamical stabilization of Cooper pairs

Challenges:

  • Making the state persist longer

  • Understanding the fundamental physics

  • Achieving the effect with less intense light