No wires needed: German physicists control electronics with light pulses

German physicists at Bielefeld University have developed a novel method to control atomically thin semiconductors using ultrashort pulses of terahertz light instead of traditional electrical signals. By employing terahertz radiation—electromagnetic waves between infrared and microwave frequencies—and specialized nanoantennas that convert this light into extremely strong, vertical electric fields within the semiconductor, they achieved switching speeds on the order of femtoseconds to picoseconds (trillionths of a second). This approach eliminates the need for physical wires or bulky electronic components, enabling faster, more energy-efficient, and potentially miniaturized electronic devices. The team demonstrated their technique on molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), a semiconductor only a few atoms thick, observing a Stark shift that confirmed the terahertz-induced electric field was effectively altering the material’s electronic properties in real time. This coherent, non-contact control mechanism could revolutionize electronics by enabling light-controlled transistors, ultrafast data transmission, advanced