A hybrid optoelectronic Mott insulator

The coupling of electronic degrees freedom in materials to create “hybridized functionalities” is a holy grail modern condensed matter physics that may produce versatile mechanisms control. Correlated electron systems often exhibit coupled with high degree tunability which sometimes lead hybridized functionalities based on external stimuli. However, the and sensitivity stimuli are determined by intrinsic material properties not always controllable. A Mott metal-insulator transition (MIT) technologically attractive due large changes resistance, tunable doping, strain, electric fields, orbital occupancy but not, itself, controllable light. Here, an alternate approach presented optical using properly engineered photoconductor/strongly correlated hybrid heterostructure. This combines photoconductor, does MIT, strongly oxide, photoconducting. Due intimate proximity between two materials, heterostructure exhibits giant volatile nonvolatile, photoinduced resistivity substantial shifts MIT temperatures. can be extended other judicious combinations materials.