The non-equilibrium control of emergent phenomena in solids is an important research frontier. Recently optical enhancement of superconductivity, previously reported for cuprates, has been demonstrated in the alkali-doped fulleride K3C60, as well as in the quasi two-dimensional organic superconductor κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br. In these experiments, we resonantly excited with mid-infrared pulses local vibrational modes of the C60 and of the BEDT-TTF molecule, respectively. Starting from the equilibrium metallic state at T >> TC, we observed a photo-induced response compatible with that of a transient superconductor.
Lara Benfatto