What would it take to instantly transform a material from an electrical insulator into a conductive state without ever touching it? Using ultrafast laser pulses and powerful X-rays, scientists at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)—a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory—developed a methodology to generate "hidden" phases and understand why they work.
This research not only reveals a hidden state of matter and its fundamental interactions but also points toward new ways to control materials for future electronics and quantum technologies. Their work was recently published in Physical Review X.
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