Tuning the terahertz response of liquids by creating polar many-body excitations

Abstract

A surprising result from the theory of quantum control is the degree to which the properties of a physical system can be manipulated. Both atomic and many-body solid state models admit the possibility of creating a 'driven imposter', in which the optical response of one material mimics that of a dynamically distinct system. Here we apply these techniques to polarons in polar liquids. Such quasiparticles describe solvated electrons interacting with many-body degrees of freedom of their environment. The polaron frequency, which depends on the electron concentration in the liquid, is controlled with a pump field, rendering the polaron frequency of three different liquids identical. The experiments demonstrate the feasibility of 'polar impostorons', a so far purely theoretical phenomenon.