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