Two-fluid dynamics in driven YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.48}$

TL;DR

This study investigates how mid-infrared pulses influence superfluid density and quasiparticle dissipation in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.48}$, revealing conditions to maximize superconducting response while minimizing dissipation.

Contribution

It provides a systematic analysis of the effects of pulse duration on superfluid enhancement and dissipation, highlighting the uncoupled behavior of these responses during phonon-driven excitation.

Findings

Superfluid density saturates for pulses longer than phonon dephasing time.

Dissipative response continues to grow with pulse duration.

Optimal pulse durations maximize superconducting response and minimize dissipation.

Abstract

Coherent optical excitation of certain phonon modes in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ has been shown to induce superconducting-like interlayer coherence at temperatures higher than $T_c$. Recent work has associated these phenomena to a parametric excitation and amplification of Josephson plasma polaritons, which are overdamped above $T_c$ but are made coherent by the phonon drive. However, the dissipative response of uncondensed quasiparticles, which do not couple in the same way to the phonon drive, has not been addressed. Here, we investigate both the enhancement of the superfluid density, $\omega\sigma_2(\omega)$, and the dissipative response of quasiparticles, $\sigma_1(\omega)$, by systematically tuning the duration and energy of the mid-infrared pulse while keeping the peak field fixed. We find that the photo-induced superfluid density saturates to the zero-temperature equilibrium value for pulses made longer than the phonon dephasing time, whilst the dissipative component continues to grow with increasing pulse duration. We show that superfluid and dissipation remain uncoupled as long as the drive is on, and identify an optimal regime of pump pulse durations for which the superconducting response is maximum and dissipation is minimized.