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Updated: Feb 9, 2026
10:26
Fabrication and Characterization of Superconducting Resonators
Published on: May 21, 2016
11.9K
A Superconducting Dual-Channel Photonic Switch.
Yogesh Kumar Srivastava1,2, Manukumara Manjappa1,2, Longqing Cong1,2
1Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore, 637371, Singapore.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|June 6, 2018
Summary
Researchers demonstrated dual-channel, ultrafast switching in yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) superconducting metamaterials. This breakthrough enables low-loss, high-performance photonic devices by controlling superconducting phase dynamics with light.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Photonics
Background:
- Investigating Cooper pair formation in high-temperature (high-Tc) cuprate superconductors is crucial for understanding their fundamental physics.
- Observing ultrafast charge carrier dynamics in photoexcited superconductors offers insights into their mechanisms.
- Superconductors' dissipation-less dynamics are key for developing advanced photonic devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally demonstrate dual-channel, ultrafast, all-optical switching between resistive and superconducting phases.
- To explore the potential of high-Tc superconductors in designing high-performance, low-loss photonic devices.
- To investigate the ultrafast response of photoexcited yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) metamaterials.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing femtosecond light pulses to photoexcite a high-Tc YBCO superconducting metamaterial.
- Modulating the sharp Fano resonance of the YBCO metamaterial to achieve ultrafast phase switching.
- Analyzing the dual dissociation-relaxation dynamics and superconductivity restoration within the cuprate superconductor.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated dual-channel, ultrafast switching between superconducting and resistive phases.
- Observed dual switching windows within an 80 ps timescale due to photoexcitation.
- Identified pathways to engineer the secondary dissociation channel for enhanced switching speed control.
Conclusions:
- The study establishes the feasibility of ultrafast, dual-channel switching in YBCO metamaterials.
- Results pave the way for low-loss, high-speed photonic applications using superconducting devices.
- This approach offers advantages over conventional metallic and dielectric metamaterials for advanced switching functionalities.
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