Light-Induced Superconductivity in a Stripe-Ordered Cuprate
14 Jan 2011-Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science)-Vol. 331, Iss: 6014, pp 189-191
TL;DR: Mid-infrared femtosecond pulses are used to enable coherent transport between the copper oxide planes of a cuprate superconductor, and an upper limit for the time scale needed to form the superconducting phase is estimated to be 1 to 2 picoseconds, which places stringent new constraints on the understanding of stripe order and its relation to superconductivity.
Abstract: One of the most intriguing features of some high-temperature cuprate superconductors is the interplay between one-dimensional "striped" spin order and charge order, and superconductivity. We used mid-infrared femtosecond pulses to transform one such stripe-ordered compound, nonsuperconducting La(1.675)Eu(0.2)Sr(0.125)CuO(4), into a transient three-dimensional superconductor. The emergence of coherent interlayer transport was evidenced by the prompt appearance of a Josephson plasma resonance in the c-axis optical properties. An upper limit for the time scale needed to form the superconducting phase is estimated to be 1 to 2 picoseconds, which is significantly faster than expected. This places stringent new constraints on our understanding of stripe order and its relation to superconductivity.
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TL;DR: Topological photonics is a rapidly emerging field of research in which geometrical and topological ideas are exploited to design and control the behavior of light as mentioned in this paper, which holds great promise for applications.
Abstract: Topological photonics is a rapidly emerging field of research in which geometrical and topological ideas are exploited to design and control the behavior of light. Drawing inspiration from the discovery of the quantum Hall effects and topological insulators in condensed matter, recent advances have shown how to engineer analogous effects also for photons, leading to remarkable phenomena such as the robust unidirectional propagation of light, which hold great promise for applications. Thanks to the flexibility and diversity of photonics systems, this field is also opening up new opportunities to realize exotic topological models and to probe and exploit topological effects in new ways. This article reviews experimental and theoretical developments in topological photonics across a wide range of experimental platforms, including photonic crystals, waveguides, metamaterials, cavities, optomechanics, silicon photonics, and circuit QED. A discussion of how changing the dimensionality and symmetries of photonics systems has allowed for the realization of different topological phases is offered, and progress in understanding the interplay of topology with non-Hermitian effects, such as dissipation, is reviewed. As an exciting perspective, topological photonics can be combined with optical nonlinearities, leading toward new collective phenomena and novel strongly correlated states of light, such as an analog of the fractional quantum Hall effect.
3,052 citations
Cites background from "Light-Induced Superconductivity in ..."
..., 2011; Oka and Aoki, 2009) and lightinduced superconductivity (Fausti et al., 2011)....
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Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University1, Nest Labs2, University of Leeds3, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory4, University of Wisconsin-Madison5, Lancaster University6, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf7, University of Liverpool8, Centro de Investigaciones en Optica9, University of Glasgow10, Imperial College London11, University of Tokyo12, University of Marburg13, Yale University14, University of Regensburg15, University at Buffalo16, University of California, Los Angeles17, University of Western Australia18, Syracuse University19, Jet Propulsion Laboratory20, California Institute of Technology21, Goethe University Frankfurt22, University College London23, University of Duisburg-Essen24, National Physical Laboratory25, University of Oxford26
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Abstract: Science and technologies based on terahertz frequency electromagnetic radiation (100 GHz–30 THz) have developed rapidly over the last 30 years. For most of the 20th Century, terahertz radiation, then referred to as sub-millimeter wave or far-infrared radiation, was mainly utilized by astronomers and some spectroscopists. Following the development of laser based terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in the 1980s and 1990s the field of THz science and technology expanded rapidly, to the extent that it now touches many areas from fundamental science to 'real world' applications. For example THz radiation is being used to optimize materials for new solar cells, and may also be a key technology for the next generation of airport security scanners. While the field was emerging it was possible to keep track of all new developments, however now the field has grown so much that it is increasingly difficult to follow the diverse range of new discoveries and applications that are appearing. At this point in time, when the field of THz science and technology is moving from an emerging to a more established and interdisciplinary field, it is apt to present a roadmap to help identify the breadth and future directions of the field. The aim of this roadmap is to present a snapshot of the present state of THz science and technology in 2017, and provide an opinion on the challenges and opportunities that the future holds. To be able to achieve this aim, we have invited a group of international experts to write 18 sections that cover most of the key areas of THz science and technology. We hope that The 2017 Roadmap on THz science and technology will prove to be a useful resource by providing a wide ranging introduction to the capabilities of THz radiation for those outside or just entering the field as well as providing perspective and breadth for those who are well established. We also feel that this review should serve as a useful guide for government and funding agencies.
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TL;DR: The 2017 roadmap of terahertz frequency electromagnetic radiation (100 GHz-30 THz) as mentioned in this paper provides a snapshot of the present state of THz science and technology in 2017, and provides an opinion on the challenges and opportunities that the future holds.
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TL;DR: A hidden (H) electronic state is found in a layered dichalcogenide crystal of 1T-TaS2 (the trigonal phase of tantalum disulfide) reached as a result of a quench caused by a single 35-femtosecond laser pulse.
Abstract: Hidden states of matter may be created if a system out of equilibrium follows a trajectory to a state that is inaccessible or does not exist under normal equilibrium conditions We found such a hidden (H) electronic state in a layered dichalcogenide crystal of 1T-TaS2 (the trigonal phase of tantalum disulfide) reached as a result of a quench caused by a single 35-femtosecond laser pulse In comparison to other states of the system, the H state exhibits a large drop of electrical resistance, strongly modified single-particle and collective-mode spectra, and a marked change of optical reflectivity The H state is stable until a laser pulse, electrical current, or thermal erase procedure is applied, causing it to revert to the thermodynamic ground state
576 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the possibility that this effect is related to dynamical two-dimensional spin correlations, incommensurate with the crystal lattice, that have been observed in La2-SrxCuO4 by neutron scattering.
Abstract: ONE of the long-standing mysteries associated with the high-temperature copper oxide superconductors concerns the anomalous suppression1 of superconductivity in La2-xBaxCuO4 (and certain related compounds) when the hole concentration x is near . Here we examine the possibility that this effect is related to dynamical two-dimensional spin correlations, incommensurate with the crystal lattice, that have been observed in La2-xSrxCuO4 by neutron scattering2–4. A possible explanation for the incommensurability involves a coupled, dynamical modulation of spin and charge in which antiferromagnetic 'stripes' of copper spins are separated by periodically spaced domain walls to which the holes segregate5–9. An ordered stripe phase of this type has recently been observed in hole-doped La2NiO4 (refs 10–12). We present evidence from neutron diffraction that in the copper oxide material La1.6-xNd0.4SrxCuO4, with x = 0.12, a static analogue of the dynamical stripe phase is present, and is associated with an anomalous suppression of superconductivity13,14. Our results thus provide an explanation of the '
' conundrum, and also support the suggestion15 that spatial modulations of spin and charge density are related to superconductivity in the copper oxides.
2,449 citations
TL;DR: The pseudogap is seen in all high-temperature superconductors and there is general agreement on the temperature and doping range where it exists as discussed by the authors, and it is also becoming clear that the superconducting gap emerges from the normal state pseudogaps.
Abstract: We present an experimental review of the nature of the pseudogap in the cuprate superconductors. Evidence from various experimental techniques points to a common phenomenology. The pseudogap is seen in all high-temperature superconductors and there is general agreement on the temperature and doping range where it exists. It is also becoming clear that the superconducting gap emerges from the normal state pseudogap. The d-wave nature of the order parameter holds for both the superconducting gap and the pseudogap. Although an extensive body of evidence is reviewed, a consensus on the origin of the pseudogap is as lacking as it is for the mechanism underlying high-temperature superconductivity.
1,721 citations
TL;DR: A tendency towards the formation of charged magnetic domain lines if holes are introduced in such a state can be viewed as a generalization of soliton of the Su, Schrieffer, and Heeger to two dimensions, explaining the incommensurate spin phase observed in the high-{ital T}{sub {ital c}}'s superconductors.
Abstract: The breakdown of the antiferromagnetism in the high-{ital T}{sub {ital c}} oxides is studied taking into account the 3{ital d} charge fluctuations. We point out a tendency towards the formation of charged magnetic domain lines if holes are introduced in such a state, which can be viewed as a generalization of soliton of the Su, Schrieffer, and Heeger to two dimensions. In the ground state these domain lines line up, explaining the incommensurate spin phase observed in the high-{ital T}{sub {ital c}}'s superconductors.
782 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a review of the electromagnetic response of high-Tc superconductors using terahertz, infrared, and optical spectroscopies is presented, with an emphasis on conceptual issues, including evolution of the electronic spectral weight in doped Mott-Hubbard insulators, the d-wave superconducting energy gap and the normal-state pseudogap, anisotropic superfluid response, electronic phase segregation, emergence of coherent electronic state as a function of both temperature and doping, the vortex state, and the energetics of the super
Abstract: Recent studies of the electromagnetic response of high-Tc superconductors using terahertz, infrared, and optical spectroscopies are reviewed. In combination these experimental techniques provide a comprehensive picture of the low-energy excitations and charge dynamics in this class of materials. These results are discussed with an emphasis on conceptual issues, including evolution of the electronic spectral weight in doped Mott-Hubbard insulators, the d-wave superconducting energy gap and the normal-state pseudogap, anisotropic superfluid response, electronic phase segregation, emergence of coherent electronic state as a function of both temperature and doping, the vortex state, and the energetics of the superconducting transition. Because the theoretical understanding of these issues is still evolving the review is focused on the analysis of the universal trends that are emerging out of a large body of work carried on by many research teams. Where possible data generated by infrared/optical techniques are compared with the data from other spectroscopic and transport methods.
592 citations
TL;DR: This work reports the ultrafast switching of the electronic phase of a magnetoresistive manganite via direct excitation of a phonon mode at 71 meV (17 THz), and reports the vibrationally driven bandgap collapse observed here, which is uniquely attributed to a large-amplitude Mn–O distortion.
Abstract: Controlling a phase of matter by coherently manipulating specific vibrational modes has long been an attractive (yet elusive) goal for ultrafast science. Solids with strongly correlated electrons, in which even subtle crystallographic distortions can result in colossal changes of the electronic and magnetic properties, could be directed between competing phases by such selective vibrational excitation. In this way, the dynamics of the electronic ground state of the system become accessible, and new insight into the underlying physics might be gained. Here we report the ultrafast switching of the electronic phase of a magnetoresistive manganite via direct excitation of a phonon mode at 71 meV (17 THz). A prompt, five-order-of-magnitude drop in resistivity is observed, associated with a non-equilibrium transition from the stable insulating phase to a metastable metallic phase. In contrast with light-induced and current-driven phase transitions, the vibrationally driven bandgap collapse observed here is not related to hot-carrier injection and is uniquely attributed to a large-amplitude Mn-O distortion. This corresponds to a perturbation of the perovskite-structure tolerance factor, which in turn controls the electronic bandwidth via inter-site orbital overlap. Phase control by coherent manipulation of selected metal-oxygen phonons should find extensive application in other complex solids--notably in copper oxide superconductors, in which the role of Cu-O vibrations on the electronic properties is currently controversial.
530 citations