Light Control of Superconductivity by Subcycle Dynamic Symmetry Breaking

亚周期动态对称性破缺对超导的光控制

• 批准号: 1905981
• 负责人: Jigang Wang
• 金额: $ 39.98万
• 依托单位: Iowa State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-12-01 至 2022-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1905981&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Light; Control; Superconductivity; Subcycle; Dynamic

Non-technical abstract: Scientists and engineers have recently come to realize that certain materials, such as superconductors, have properties that can be exploited for applications in quantum information and energy science, e.g., processing, recording, storage and communication. Light can be used to create and control superconductivity. This makes it possible to design exotic properties in superconductors which can then be used in making devices for computing, sensing and communication. The proposed project aims to study one group of these materials called iron pnictide superconductors. These materials will be rapidly perturbed by laser light and their responses recorded using high speed measurements. The goal is to extract details of superconductivity in these materials so that they can be utilized in making devices for quantum information and energy applications. Education is an integral and essential component in this proposal. Specific plans have been made to mentor college professors/undergraduates, to engage high school teachers and their students through "A Physics Day" program; and to provide research and training opportunities for underrepresented minority students. Technical abstract: A grand challenge underlying the implementation of superconducting electronics and its quantum information applications is how to establish universal quantum control principles for switching coherent orders and modulating supercurrents at faster-than-terahertz clock rates with nearly "zero-heat" energy dissipation. The project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of harnessing light-driven coherence and nonlinearity to probe and control quantum phases and collective modes in specifically-chosen iron pnictide superconductors. Specifically we will implement a subcycle dynamic symmetry breaking principle using a tailored light pulse to nonthermally modulate correlation gaps and/or periodically bias supercurrents. The research goals are: (1) explore the laser-driven superconducting systems with different magnetic orders and fluctuations, clean vs. dirty limit, different paring symmetries; (2) Reveal collective modes via light-induced supercurrents; (3) Achieve proof-of-concept validation of coherent control of superconducting orders using "tailored" laser pulse trains. Understanding how to measure, manipulate and harvest coherence and entanglement in superconductors with unprecedented ultrafast visualization can potentially break new grounds for materials discovery - to achieve room temperature superconductivity transiently, increase the coherence times, and stabilize the transient phases beyond technologically-relevant, many nanosecond timescales. Reaching such a fundamental understanding and implementing dynamical quantum switching will advance Quantum Leap, one of the 10 Big Ideas of the National Science Foundation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

非技术摘要：科学家和工程师最近意识到某些材料（例如超导体）具有可用于量子信息和能源科学应用的特性，例如处理、记录、存储和通信。光可用于创建和控制超导性。这使得设计超导体的奇异特性成为可能，然后将其用于制造计算、传感和通信设备。拟议的项目旨在研究一组称为铁磷族超导体的材料。这些材料将受到激光的快速扰动，并使用高速测量记录它们的响应。目标是提取这些材料中超导性的细节，以便它们可用于制造量子信息和能源应用的设备。教育是该提案中不可或缺的重要组成部分。已经制定了具体计划来指导大学教授/本科生，通过“物理日”计划吸引高中教师及其学生；并为代表性不足的少数族裔学生提供研究和培训机会。技术摘要：超导电子学及其量子信息应用的实现面临的一个重大挑战是如何建立通用量子控制原理，用于以快于太赫兹的时钟速率切换相干阶并调制超电流，同时几乎“零热”能量耗散。 该项目旨在证明利用光驱动相干性和非线性来探测和控制专门选择的铁磷族化物超导体中的量子相和集体模式的可行性。具体来说，我们将使用定制的光脉冲来实现子周期动态对称性破缺原理，以非热调制相关间隙和/或周期性偏置超电流。 研究目标是：（1）探索具有不同磁序和涨落、干净与脏极限、不同配对对称性的激光驱动超导系统； (2) 通过光感应超电流揭示集体模式； (3) 使用“定制”激光脉冲序列实现超导序相干控制的概念验证。了解如何通过前所未有的超快可视化来测量、操纵和收获超导体中的相干性和纠缠，可能会为材料发现开辟新的基础——瞬时实现室温超导，增加相干时间，并稳定超出技术相关的瞬态相位，许多纳秒时间尺度。达成这样的基本理解并实现动态量子切换将推进量子飞跃，这是美国国家科学基金会的十大想法之一。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响进行评估，被认为值得支持审查标准。

项目成果

Terahertz Second-Harmonic Generation from Lightwave Acceleration of Symmetry-Breaking Nonlinear Supercurrents

• DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.124.207003
• 发表时间: 2020-05-19
• 期刊: PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
• 影响因子: 8.6
• 作者: Vaswani, C.;Sundahl, C.;Wang, J.
• 通讯作者: Wang, J.

Quantum coherence tomography of light-controlled superconductivity

• DOI: 10.1038/s41567-022-01827-1
• 发表时间: 2022-12-05
• 期刊: NATURE PHYSICS
• 影响因子: 19.6
• 作者: Luo, L.;Mootz, M.;Wang, J.
• 通讯作者: Wang, J.