Quantum Motion Frozen with Lasers | Ultrafast Physics
- Quantum materials, when stimulated, exhibit unique properties.
- The fleeting nature of light-induced states in these materials, typically lasting only picoseconds, poses a significant challenge.
- Its structure, composed of ladders and chains of copper and oxygen atoms, simplifies the study of complex physical phenomena.
Researchers have achieved a meaningful breakthrough, stabilizing fleeting quantum states in materials using X-ray flashes, opening doors to advanced technologies. This innovative work, published in Nature Materials, demonstrates how scientists from Harvard University and the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have extended the lifespan of these critical states a thousandfold.The team, led by experimental condensed matter physicist Matteo Mitrano, manipulated the symmetry of electronic states in a copper oxide compound (Sr14Cu24O41), creating a non-equilibrium state lasting nanoseconds. This was accomplished by a tailored laser pulse that shifted charges. Employing the ultra-radiant femtosecond X-ray pulses is a critical part of the process. News Directory 3 brings you closer to the forefront of scientific discoveries. Discover what’s next from these groundbreaking advances.
Scientists Stabilize fleeting Quantum States in Quantum Materials
Updated June 7, 2025
Quantum materials, when stimulated, exhibit unique properties. However,these excited states are short-lived,hindering practical use. Researchers at Harvard University and the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have found a way to stabilize these states using X-ray flashes from SwissFEL,according to a study published in Nature Materials.This breakthrough in manipulating quantum materials could pave the way for advanced technologies.
The fleeting nature of light-induced states in these materials, typically lasting only picoseconds, poses a significant challenge. Matteo mitrano, an experimental condensed matter physicist from Harvard University, led a team that overcame this by manipulating the symmetry of electronic states in a copper oxide compound. The team demonstrated that tailored optical excitation can induce a metastable, non-equilibrium electronic state lasting nanoseconds—a thousand times longer than usual.
The team focused on Sr14Cu24O41, a cuprate ladder compound. Its structure, composed of ladders and chains of copper and oxygen atoms, simplifies the study of complex physical phenomena. Mitrano likened the material to a “fruit fly,” ideal for studying general quantum phenomena.
Aimed at achieving a long-lived non-equilibrium state without inducing structural phase transitions, the team employed a purely electronic method. They exploited the difference in electronic charge density between the chain and ladder units. By using a precisely engineered laser pulse to break the symmetry, they enabled charges to quantum tunnel from the chains to the ladders. “It’s like switching on and off a valve,” Mitrano saeid.
The ultra-radiant femtosecond X-ray pulses at SwissFEL allowed researchers to observe the ultrafast electronic processes. Using time-resolved Resonant Inelastic X-ray scattering (tr-RIXS) at the Furka endstation, they gained insight into magnetic, electric, and orbital excitations. Elia Razzoli, group leader of the Furka endstation, noted the ability to target specific atoms that determine the system’s physical properties.
Hari Padma,a postdoctoral scholar at Harvard and lead author,added,”With this technique,we could observe how the electrons moved at thier intrinsic ultrafast timescale and hence reveal electronic metastability.”
The Furka endstation has since been upgraded to improve RIXS energy resolution. Razzoli concluded, “This experiment was very importent to showcase the kind of experiments that we can carry out. The endstation and its instrumentation are already much better now, and we will keep improving it.”
What’s next
Stabilizing light-induced non-equilibrium states opens possibilities for designing materials with tunable functionalities. This could lead to ultrafast optoelectronic devices, transducers for quantum dialog and photonic computing, and non-volatile facts storage.