Super-Tera
Unveiling the Science Behind Superconductor materials using beyond state-of-the art optical methods
Shining light on new materials
Project Objectives
Superconducting materials are the heart of the modern quantum technologies including quantum computation with its main workhorse - superconducting qubits, magnetic flux and voltage quantum metrology with Josephson junctions and superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID). Hence the formidable effort to raise the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) by researching new materials and superconductivity mechanisms beyond the standard Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) model. On the other hand, the new superconductivity-based technologies emerge as the phenomenon is becoming more investigated and better understood. The coupling of THz frequency electromagnetic waves with superconducting matter and the emerging possibility of THz field generation, manipulation and detection via light-matter interactions in superconductors is the prime example.
This project is aimed at (i) the advanced studies of superconducting state via near-field THz imaging (THz CryoSNOM); (ii) investigation of new superconducting materials with potential quantum technology applications; (iii)development of new THz technologies.
Research lines
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Nanooptics
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Light-matter interaction in superconductors
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Development of THz technologies
Nanooptics
Scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) is a technique capable of combining high spatial resolution (10–100 nm) and optical contrast. SNOM can be applied to a wide variety of materials, including semiconductors, molecular crystals, superconductors, providing important new insights into the mesoscale physics of these materials.
Terahertz radiation
Terahertz radiation consists of electromagnetic waves with wavelengths in the range from 3 mm to 0.03 mm and present what is know to be the THz gap, where coherent radiation generation is particularly challenging. We address this problem by working with the most stable THz sources so far - Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs). We develop new thechnology to make these sources more integrable and usable in the next generation electronics.
Superconductivity
Superconductivity, despite its unique macroscopic manifestations (zero resistivity and ideal diamagnetism), is a natural property of Fermionic systems – two electrons lower their energy by forming Cooper pairs if there is even small attraction between them, no matter how cumbersome the attraction mechanism is. One way to address the microscopic mechanism of superconductivity is to shine the light with photon energy comparable or smaller than the Cooper pairs´binding energy. For some materials, namely high-Tc superconductors this energies lay within THz gap.
Outreach
Conference presentations
Breaking the diffraction limit: THz cryogenic scanning near-field microscopy, Ischia, Italy, 2024