Direct observation of real-time oscillations of the Cooper-pairs condensate in a high-Tc superconductor

Details Direct observation of real-time oscillations of the Cooper-pairs condensate in a high-Tc superconductor Direct observation of real-time oscillations of the Cooper-pairs condensate in a high-Tc superconductor

2011-12-04

arxiv.org/abs/1112.0737v1

Physics

Condensed Matter

Superconductivity

18 pages, 5 figures

Scientific paper

Superconductivity requires that electrons bind in so-called Cooper pairs obeying Bose-like statistics. In conventional superconductors like aluminum or tin, the exchange of lattice vibrations acts as the glue holding electrons in pairs. Due to the complexity of high-Tc superconductors, the task to single out excitations that are coupled to the superconducting quasiparticles and that can act as a "glue" has proven challenging, making the description of the microscopic mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity one of the major open problems in current physics. Here, we show that when the condensate is perturbed by a femtosecond light pulse, a coherent charge fluctuation involving only paired electrons can be induced and detected. Despite several experimental works aiming at the real time observation of Cooper pairs dynamics in solids, condensate oscillations were never observed before. Such an oscillation produces changes of the optical properties in resonance with well defined electronic transitions, allowing to identify glue candidates. In particular, we observe that the amplitude of these oscillations peaks around an energy threshold corresponding to the charge transfer excitation in the insulating parent compound implying a substantial contribution of non-retarded interactions to the pairing. These experiments demonstrate the possibility to specifically excite the superconducting condensate and probe its impact on the solid's properties in real time, opening a new window to the "glue problem" and, more generally, to the field of non-equilibrium superconductivity.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Direct observation of real-time oscillations of the Cooper-pairs condensate in a high-Tc superconductor does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Direct observation of real-time oscillations of the Cooper-pairs condensate in a high-Tc superconductor, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Direct observation of real-time oscillations of the Cooper-pairs condensate in a high-Tc superconductor will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-388237