Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 18, 2026
11:33
All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics
Published on: January 19, 2018
10.2K
On-Chip Terahertz Pump-Probe Spectroscopy Revealing Ultrafast Current-Induced Breakdown Dynamics in a Superconducting
Daichi Yoshioka1, Fumiya Sekiguchi2, Naotaka Yoshikawa1
1Department of Physics, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
Nano Letters
|September 9, 2025
Summary
We developed an on-chip terahertz (THz) spectroscopy technique to study ultrafast phenomena in quantum materials. This method revealed that picosecond electrical pulses can induce transitions in superconductors, exceeding direct-current limits.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Quantum materials science
- Spectroscopy
Background:
- On-chip terahertz (THz) spectroscopy enables sub-diffraction limit measurements and nonlinear material response studies.
- Ultrafast devices require understanding THz bandwidth material dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an on-chip THz-pump THz-probe spectroscopy technique.
- To investigate ultrafast electrical-pulse-induced nonequilibrium phenomena.
Main Methods:
- Developed an on-chip THz-pump THz-probe spectroscopy system.
- Studied current-induced superconducting-to-normal state transitions in a niobium (Nb) microstrip.
Main Results:
- Observed ultrafast dynamics of the current-induced superconducting-to-normal state transition.
- Determined that the critical current density for picosecond pulses significantly exceeds that of direct-current supercurrents.
- Explained results using time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory.
Conclusions:
- The developed system provides a new platform for characterizing and manipulating quantum materials in electrical circuits.
- Achieved ultrafast time resolution for studying nonequilibrium phenomena.
