A strategy to enhance the light-dependent superconductivity of K₃C₆₀

Superconductivity is the ability of some materials to conduct direct electrical current (DC) with almost no resistance. This property is highly sought after and suitable for various technological applications, as it can enhance the performance of various electronic and power devices.

In recent years, condensed matter physicists and materials scientists have attempted to identify strategies to enhance the superconductivity of certain materials. This includes Article K₃C₆₀an organic superconductor, was found to enter a phase characterized by zero resistance when mid-infrared light pulses are applied to it.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, the University of Parma Studies and the University of Oxford have identified a strategy to enhance the light-induced superconductivity of K.₃C₆₀. This strategy, described in Nature physicsSo far, the results are very promising, increasing the photosensitivity of this superconducting material by two orders of magnitude.

“We have been exploring for nearly a decade the possibility of using light to enhance superconductivity starting from an equilibrium state at a core temperature above Tc,” Andrea Cavalieri, one of the researchers who conducted the study, told Phys.org. “We’ve shown that this works In some cobrasin Salts transport a certain charge And in K₃C₆₀“.

“In this paper, we discovered the mechanism behind the K gene₃C₆₀ “Optically induced superconductivity using a special optical source that is more tunable than that previously used, with a frequency of up to 10 Hz.”

Cavalieri and his research team were exploring K superconductivity₃C₆₀ For a few years now. In their previous experiments, they were able to achieve the superconducting phase of this material with excitation photon energies between 80 and 165 MeV (20–40 Hz).

In their new study, they set out to explore excitation in matter at low energies between 24 and 80 MeV (6-20 Hz), using a strategy that was previously inaccessible. The researchers achieved this using a terahertz source that generates narrow-bandwidth pulses by combining near-infrared signal beams of two different phase-locked optical parametric amplitudes.

“The fundamental physics is not yet clear, but the experiment targets selected molecular vibrations that are driven directly into a large amplification at their resonant frequency,” Cavalieri said. “The driven vibrations appear to couple electronic states and promote coupling and cohesion that leads to superconductivity. The current paper shows that this effect works particularly well at 10 terahertz, where a specific molecular vibration is found.”

Recent work by Cavalieri and his collaborators sheds some new light on the potential mechanisms underpinning photo-induced superconductivity in K₃C₆₀ And perhaps other superconductors. In addition, it presents a strategy that could help extend photo-induced superconductivity over longer periods of time, which could have interesting implications for the development of light-based quantum technologies.

“We realized a state of long-lasting superconductivity of 10 nanoseconds at room temperature,” Cavalieri added. “In principle, this could be used in future quantum devices powered by light. We want to study the properties of this transient state, especially the magnetic properties and will try to compare the properties of the photoinduced phase with the equilibrium properties. SC.”