A group of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter in Germany have made a groundbreaking discovery in the manipulation of quantum materials using laser drives. By tuning the light source to 10 THz, the researchers were able to create a long-lived superconducting-like state in a fullerene-based material (K3C60) using laser light, while reducing the pulse intensity by a factor of 100.
Andrea Cavalleri, founding director of the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, as well as a physics professor at the University of Hamburg and the University of Oxford, explained that this discovery has implications for understanding the underlying microscopic mechanism of photo-induced superconductivity and could provide insight into the amplification of electronic properties in materials.
Edward Rowe, a Ph.D. student working with Cavalleri, also noted that a light source with a higher repetition rate at the 10 THz frequency may help sustain the metastable state longer, potentially leading to continuous sustenance of superconducting-like states in these materials. This research has significant potential to advance our understanding of quantum materials and their properties.