Chapter 23: THz control in correlated electron solids: Sources and applications

Materials with strongly correlated electrons often show rich phase diagramswith dramatic differences in physical properties as doping, applied pressure, or magnetic fields are changed. Even subtle perturbations can cause colossal rearrangements in the electronic spectrum, and irradiation with light can be used to drive spectacular rearrangements in the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties. Here, we discuss the use of THz radiation to selectively excite one single degree of freedom at a time to drive a phase change. This is in contrast to what is done in most studies, which achieve photo-induced phase transitions by non-specific excitation in the visible spectral range. This chapter will combine a summary of developments in instrumentation for strong THz fields with some selected scientific applications of THz control of correlated electron systems. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.