flickerens

Flickerens are a hypothetical class of bosonic quasiparticles proposed to explain ultrafast flickering luminescence observed in certain crystalline materials under intense optical or electrical excitation. They are envisioned as energy quanta that mediate transient luminescent states without requiring long-lived excitons.

Origin and theory: The concept was introduced in the mid-22nd century by researchers at the Lumen Institute, building on ultrafast spectroscopy data from perovskite-like lattices. In this framework, flickerens arise from a bound state of an exciton coupled to a localized lattice distortion, forming a quasiparticle that can carry energy while remaining distinct from standard excitons or phonon modes.

Properties and formation: Flickerens are modeled as nearly massless bosons with minimal spin, whose dynamics depend on the host medium’s optical properties. They are short-lived, with lifetimes ranging from tens to a few hundred femtoseconds, and typically decay into photons or other excitations. Formation is linked to high-intensity excitation that populates localized two-level systems in the lattice, releasing energy through a coherent, rapidly fluctuating signal consistent with flicker dynamics.

Detection and evidence: Evidence relies on ultrafast pump-probe measurements and time-resolved photoluminescence, which reveal transient spectral modulations at frequencies associated with the proposed flickering process. Critics point to alternative explanations such as strong-coupling exciton-polaron effects, and independent replication remains a subject of active investigation.

Applications and significance: If confirmed, flickerens could enable ultrafast optical switching and high-rate data encoding at terahertz scales, influencing the design of future photonic materials. The concept remains debated, with ongoing experiments aiming to clarify its existence and scope.