Skip to main content
Article
Ultrafast nonthermal terahertz electrodynamics and possible quantum energy transfer in the Nb3Sn superconductor
Ames Laboratory Accepted Manuscripts
  • Xu Yang, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
  • X. Zhao, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
  • Chirag Vaswani, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
  • C. Sundahl, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Boqun Song, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
  • Yong-Xin Yao, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
  • Di Cheng, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
  • Zhiyan Liu, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
  • Peter Orth, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
  • M. Mootz, University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • J. H. Kang, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • I. E. Perakis, University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • Cai-Zhuang Wang, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
  • Kai-Ming Ho, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
  • C. B. Eom, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Jigang Wang, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
Publication Date
3-7-2019
Department
Ames Laboratory; Physics and Astronomy
OSTI ID+
1546176
Report Number
IS-J 9913
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevB.99.094504
Journal Title
Physical Review B
Abstract

We report terahertz (THz) electrodynamics of a moderately clean A15 superconductor (SC) following ultrafast excitation to manipulate quasiparticle (QP) transport. In the Martensitic normal state, we observe a photo enhancement in the THz conductivity using optical pulses, while the opposite is observed for the THz pump. This demonstrates wavelength-selective nonthermal control of conductivity distinct from sample heating. The photo enhancement persists up to an additional critical temperature, above the SC one, from a competing electronic order. In the SC state, the fluence dependence of pair-breaking kinetics together with an analytic model provides an implication for a “one photon to one Cooper pair” nonresonant energy transfer during the 35-fs laser pulse; i.e., the fitted photon energy ℏω absorption to create QPs set by 2ΔSC/ℏω=0.33%. This is more than one order of magnitude smaller than in previously studied BCS SCs, which we attribute to strong electron-phonon coupling and possible influence of phonon condensation.

DOE Contract Number(s)
AC02-07CH11358; FG02-06ER46327; SC0019137
Language
en
Publisher
Iowa State University Digital Repository, Ames IA (United States)
Citation Information
Xu Yang, X. Zhao, Chirag Vaswani, C. Sundahl, et al.. "Ultrafast nonthermal terahertz electrodynamics and possible quantum energy transfer in the Nb3Sn superconductor" Vol. 99 Iss. 9 (2019) p. 094504
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/peter-orth/15/