Light-Induced Superconductivity (IMAGE) DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory Caption In equilibrium (top), the charge stripe "ripples" run perpendicular to each other between the copper-oxide layers of the material. When a mid-infrared laser pulse strikes the material (middle), it "melts" these conflicting ripples and induces superconductivity (bottom). The experimenters used a carefully synchronized X-ray laser to take this femtosecond-fast "movie" to reveal how quickly the charge stripes melt. Credit Courtesy Jörg Harms, Max-Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter Usage Restrictions With credit. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.