-Wave Superconductivity at a Phase Boundary

Time-domain techniques have shown the potential of photo-manipulating existing orders and inducing new states of matter in strongly correlated materials. Using time-resolved exact diagonalization, we perform numerical studies of pump dynamics in a Mott-Peierls system with competing charge and spin density waves. A light-enhanced d-wave superconductivity is observed when the system resides near a quantum phase boundary. By examining the evolution of spin, charge and superconducting susceptibilities, we show that a sub-dominant state in equilibrium can be stabilized by photomanipulating charge order to allow superconductivity to appear and dominate. This work provides an interpretation of light-induced superconductivity from the perspective of order competition, and offers a promising approach for designing novel emergent states out of equilibrium.