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Synopsis

Experiments spanning over a decade have suggested that it may be possible to transform some metallic compounds into superconductors by illuminating them with a laser beam. This phenomenon, now called photoinduced superconductivity, has provoked excitement and controversy since its discovery. I will review some of the central experimental evidence for photoinduced superconductivity and show that it is not as super as it looks. I will describe how we identified a previously overlooked systematic error that distorts the experimental results and explain how it produces an illusion of superconductivity. I will discuss our reinterpretation of these measurements, which raises new and interesting questions about the interaction of light with matter. I will also discuss what we can learn from this episode to improve reproducibility and reliability in science.