Resonant enhancement of photo-induced superconductivity in K3C60

Journal article

Photo-excitation at terahertz and mid-infrared frequencies has emerged as an effective way to manipulate functionalities in quantum materials, in some cases creating non-equilibrium phases that have no equilibrium analogue. In K3C60, a metastable zero-resistance phase was observed that has optical properties, nonlinear electrical transport and pressure dependencies compatible with non-equilibrium high-temperature superconductivity. Here we demonstrate a two-orders-of-magnitude increase in photo-susceptibility near 10 THz excitation frequency. At these drive frequencies, a metastable superconducting-like phase is observed up to room temperature. The discovery of a dominant frequency scale sheds light on the microscopic mechanism underlying photo-induced superconductivity. It also indicates a path towards steady-state operation, limited at present by the availability of a suitable high-repetition-rate optical source at these frequencies

Authors: Rowe, E; Yuan, B; Buzzi, M; Jotzu, G; Zhu, Y

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Journal: Nature Physics
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 12
• Pages: 1821-1826
• Publication date: 2023-10-05
• DOI: 10.1038/s41567-023-02235-9
• EISSN: 1745-2481
• ISSN: 1745-2473
• Language: English
• Keywords: Quantum mechanics; Infrared; Optics; Optoelectronics; Excitation; Physics; Metastability; Phase (matter); Condensed matter physics; Superconductivity; Terahertz radiation