Non-linear Terahertz driving of plasma waves in layered cuprates

The hallmark of superconductivity is the rigidity of the quantum-mechanical phase of electrons, responsible for superfluid behavior and Meissner effect. The strength of the phase stiffness is set by the Josephson coupling, which is strongly anisotropic in layered cuprates. So far, THz light pulses have been used to achieve non-linear control of the out-of-plane Josephson plasma mode, whose frequency lies in the THz range. However, the high-energy in-plane plasma mode has been considered insensitive to THz pumping. Here, we show that THz driving of both low-frequency and high-frequency plasma waves is possible via a general two-plasmon excitation mechanism. The anisotropy of the Josephson couplings leads to markedly different thermal effects for the out-of-plane and in-plane response, linking in both cases the emergence of non-linear photonics across T c to the superfluid stiffness. Our results show that THz light pulses represent a preferential knob to selectively drive phase excitations in unconventional superconductors. Josephson coupling determines the superconducting phase stiffness and sets the energy scale of plasma waves. Here, the authors show that THz light can induce two-plasmon excitations of both out-of-plane and in-plane phase modes, leading however to markedly different resonant and thermal effects due to the strong anisotropy of the Josephson couplings.