Placement Information
Year you started your placement
2017
Placement period
May – August, September – December
Supervisor’s name
Dirk Manske
Project Details
Overview
When a superconductor in its ground state interacts with an ultra short laser pulse, quasiparticles are created resulting in a reduction in the magnitude of the order parameter. If the pulse is short enough, a non-adiabatic transition occurs resulting in an oscillation of the order parameter. This oscillation can be detected with the use of pump-probe spectroscopy, where a pulse large enough to excite quasiparticles interacts with the superconductor, followed by the smaller probe pulse to detect the oscillations.
Project objectives
For this project I simulated the response of a superconductor to pump-probe spectroscopy. This involved numerically solving the BCS hamiltonian. Starting with the BCS hamiltonian, an interaction term involving the vector potential describing the pulses are added. A Bogoliubov transformation is then applied to the hamiltonian, allowing the hamiltonian to be rewritten in terms of the quasiparticle operators. Applying the heisenberg EoM to the expectation values of these operators results in a system of coupled first order ODEs, which are then numerically integrated. A systematic study of the effect of the pump pulses width was done, as well as a study using an experimentally obtained pump pulse.
Research outcomes
The above work is ongoing. I am currently working on systematically studying the effects of the width of the pulse on the order parameter.
Project status
In progress
Expected completion date
12/31/2017
Complimentary document for project
Complimentary document for project
Complimentary document for project
My Co-op Experience at MPI
Why did you apply for a placement with Max Planck Institute?
I was interested in condensed matter physics and superconductivity in particular.
What recommendations do you have for students who wish to participate in MPI-UBC exchange program?
Read about some current topics in ongoing physics research, so you have an idea of the kind of work being done.
Tell us about your travels and cultural experiences in Germany and the rest of the Europe
The ease of traveling is one of the best parts of Europe. You can find cheap flights (as low as 10eu) to different cities and the train connection is also great. I’ve visited cities all around Germany and a several outside of Germany. It’s a great experience.
