Ultrafast nonthermal terahertz electrodynamics and possible quantum energy transfer in the Nb3Sn superconductor

Yang, X.; Zhao, X.; Vaswani, C.; Sundahl, C.; Song, B.; Yao, Y.; Cheng, D.; Liu, Z.; Orth, P. P.; Mootz, M.; Kang, J. H.; Perakis, I. E.; Wang, C. -Z.; Ho, K. -M.; Eom, C. B.; Wang, J.

doi:10.1103/physrevb.99.094504

Title: Ultrafast nonthermal terahertz electrodynamics and possible quantum energy transfer in the Nb₃Sn superconductor

Journal Article · Thu Mar 07 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Physical Review. B

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.99.094504· OSTI ID:1798974

Yang, X. ^[1]; Zhao, X. ^[1]; Vaswani, C. ^[1]; Sundahl, C. ^[2]; Song, B. ^[1]; Yao, Y. ^[1]; Cheng, D. ^[1]; Liu, Z. ^[1]; Orth, P. P. ^[1]; Mootz, M. ^[3]; Kang, J. H. ^[2]; Perakis, I. E. ^[3]; Wang, C. -Z. ^[1]; Ho, K. -M. ^[1]; Eom, C. B. ^[2]; Wang, J. ^[1]

Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)
Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham, AL (United States)

Here, 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 2Δ_SC/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.

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Research Organization:: Ames Lab., Ames, IA (United States); Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham, AL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division (MSE); US Army Research Office (ARO); USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-07CH11358; W911NF-15-1-0135; FG02-06ER46327; SC0019137

OSTI ID:: 1798974

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1546176; OSTI ID: 1971745

Report Number(s):: IS-J-9913; TRN: US2210775

Journal Information:: Physical Review. B, Vol. 99, Issue 9; ISSN 2469-9950

Publisher:: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 20 works

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Title: Ultrafast nonthermal terahertz electrodynamics and possible quantum energy transfer in the Nb3Sn superconductor

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Title: Ultrafast nonthermal terahertz electrodynamics and possible quantum energy transfer in the Nb₃Sn superconductor