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Ultrafast laser pulses reveal a material's hidden state of matter

Ultrafast laser pulses reveal a material's hidden state of matter
Phys.org Monday 15 June 2026, 18:00 UTC 1 min read
Key Points

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.

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.
the National Synchrotron Light Source II (ORG) U.S. Department of Energy (ORG) Office of Science (ORG) DOE (ORG) Brookhaven National Laboratory (ORG)
Originally published by Phys.org Read original →

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