Photoinduced pairing in Mott insulators

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how laser pulses can induce long-range $ ext{eta}$ pairing and an insulator-to-metal transition in Mott insulators, using advanced simulation techniques in the thermodynamic limit.

Contribution

First demonstration of photoinduced $ ext{eta}$ pairing in Mott insulators directly in the thermodynamic limit using matrix-product-state simulations.

Findings

Optimal laser parameters induce dominant long-range $ ext{eta}$ pairing.

Photoemission spectra reveal signatures of insulator-to-metal transition.

Long-range $ ext{eta}$ pairing correlates with phase transition evidence.

Abstract

Utilizing time-evolution techniques in (infinite) matrix-product-state representation, we study the non-equilibrium dynamics of driven Mott insulators and demonstrate photoinduced $\eta$ pairing directly in the thermodynamic limit. Analyzing the time evolution of the corresponding pairing correlations, we determine the optimal laser pump parameters for which long-range $\eta$-pairing becomes dominant after pulse irradiation. The time-dependent photoemission spectra for this optimal pump parameter set show clear signatures of the photoinduced insulator-to-metal phase transition related to the formation of $\eta$ pairs.