Ultrafast Laser Pulses Unmask Quantum Materials and Superconductivity

Innovative use of timed laser pulses by JILA and CU Boulder researchers provides new insights into quantum material behavior, aiding in the exploration of superconductivity mechanisms.

To engineer materials with unique properties, like superconductivity, scientists dive into the quantum interactions between electrons and vibrational particles called phonons. When electrons and phonons strongly interact, they behave as “quasi” particles, not single isolated particles. These interactions occur on extremely short timescales: electrons interact with each other in femtoseconds (10-15 seconds) or even faster, while phonons respond more slowly, within hundreds of femtoseconds, since the heavier atoms move more slowly than electrons.