Search for Photo-induced Superconductivity 

Much of modern research in condensed matter physics focuses on the tuning and optimization of electronic, structural and magnetic phases of solids. Recent trends have channelled these efforts toward the physics of electromagnetically driven Quantum Materials, in search of new physical phenomena that exist only in these out-of-equilibrium conditions. I will discuss how coherent electromagnetic radiation, when tuned to drive collective modes in superconductors, can be used to induce unexpected dynamical phases. The core idea is that when weakly normal modes are driven nonlinearly, interactions that are subdominant in equilibrium become important, and new electronic phases can emerge that do not occur in equilibrium. I will discuss our search for driven states of unconventional superconductors in which electrical and magnetic properties are enhanced.