Nonlinear charge oscillation driven by a single-cycle light field in an organic superconductor

• Published in: Nature photonics Vol. 12; no. 8; pp. 474 - 478
• Main Authors: Kawakami, Y., Amano, T., Yoneyama, Y., Akamine, Y., Itoh, H., Kawaguchi, G., Yamamoto, H. M., Kishida, H., Itoh, K., Sasaki, T., Ishihara, S., Tanaka, Y., Yonemitsu, K., Iwai, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.08.2018; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 140/125; 639/301/119; 639/624; Applied and Technical Physics; Insulators; Letter; Metals; Nonlinear phenomena; Organic superconductors; Photonics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum Physics; Stimulated emission; Superconductivity; Superconductors; Transition temperature; Transition temperatures; Variation
• ISSN: 1749-4885; 1749-4893
• DOI: 10.1038/s41566-018-0194-4

Application of an intense light field to solids produces enormous and ultrafast nonlinear phenomena such as high-harmonic generation 1 , 2 and attosecond charge dynamics 3 , 4 . These are distinct from conventional photonics. However, the main targets for investigation have been limited to insulators and semiconductors, although theoretical approaches have also been developed for correlated metals and superconductors 5 . Here, in a layered organic superconductor, a nonlinear charge oscillation driven by a nearly single-cycle strong electric field of >10 MV cm −1 is observed as a stimulated emission. The charge oscillation is different from a linear response and ascribed to a polar charge oscillation with a period of ∼6 fs. This nonlinear polar charge oscillation is enhanced by critical fluctuations near a superconducting transition temperature and a critical end-point of first-order Mott transitions. Its observation on an ultrafast timescale of ∼10 fs clarifies that Coulomb repulsion plays an essential role in the superconductivity of organic superconductors. A nonlinear charge oscillation driven by a 6 fs light field of 11 MV cm –1 is observed in a layered organic superconductor. The initial response time of the oscillation on the timescale of 10 fs clarifies that Coulomb repulsion is essential for the superconductivity.