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An ultrafast symmetry switch in a Weyl semimetal

Author

Listed:
  • Edbert J. Sie

    (Stanford University
    SIMES, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • Clara M. Nyby

    (Stanford University)

  • C. D. Pemmaraju

    (SIMES, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • Su Ji Park

    (SIMES, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • Xiaozhe Shen

    (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • Jie Yang

    (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
    PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • Matthias C. Hoffmann

    (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • B. K. Ofori-Okai

    (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Renkai Li

    (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • Alexander H. Reid

    (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • Stephen Weathersby

    (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • Ehren Mannebach

    (Stanford University)

  • Nathan Finney

    (Columbia University)

  • Daniel Rhodes

    (Florida State University
    Florida State University
    Columbia University)

  • Daniel Chenet

    (Columbia University)

  • Abhinandan Antony

    (Columbia University)

  • Luis Balicas

    (Florida State University
    Florida State University)

  • James Hone

    (Columbia University)

  • Thomas P. Devereaux

    (Stanford University
    SIMES, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • Tony F. Heinz

    (SIMES, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
    PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
    Stanford University)

  • Xijie Wang

    (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • Aaron M. Lindenberg

    (SIMES, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
    PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
    Stanford University)

Abstract

Topological quantum materials exhibit fascinating properties1–3, with important applications for dissipationless electronics and fault-tolerant quantum computers4,5. Manipulating the topological invariants in these materials would allow the development of topological switching applications analogous to switching of transistors6. Lattice strain provides the most natural means of tuning these topological invariants because it directly modifies the electron–ion interactions and potentially alters the underlying crystalline symmetry on which the topological properties depend7–9. However, conventional means of applying strain through heteroepitaxial lattice mismatch10 and dislocations11 are not extendable to controllable time-varying protocols, which are required in transistors. Integration into a functional device requires the ability to go beyond the robust, topologically protected properties of materials and to manipulate the topology at high speeds. Here we use crystallographic measurements by relativistic electron diffraction to demonstrate that terahertz light pulses can be used to induce terahertz-frequency interlayer shear strain with large strain amplitude in the Weyl semimetal WTe2, leading to a topologically distinct metastable phase. Separate nonlinear optical measurements indicate that this transition is associated with a symmetry change to a centrosymmetric, topologically trivial phase. We further show that such shear strain provides an ultrafast, energy-efficient way of inducing robust, well separated Weyl points or of annihilating all Weyl points of opposite chirality. This work demonstrates possibilities for ultrafast manipulation of the topological properties of solids and for the development of a topological switch operating at terahertz frequencies.

Suggested Citation

  • Edbert J. Sie & Clara M. Nyby & C. D. Pemmaraju & Su Ji Park & Xiaozhe Shen & Jie Yang & Matthias C. Hoffmann & B. K. Ofori-Okai & Renkai Li & Alexander H. Reid & Stephen Weathersby & Ehren Mannebach , 2019. "An ultrafast symmetry switch in a Weyl semimetal," Nature, Nature, vol. 565(7737), pages 61-66, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:565:y:2019:i:7737:d:10.1038_s41586-018-0809-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0809-4
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    Cited by:

    1. Honglie Ning & Omar Mehio & Xinwei Li & Michael Buchhold & Mathias Driesse & Hengdi Zhao & Gang Cao & David Hsieh, 2023. "A coherent phonon-induced hidden quadrupolar ordered state in Ca2RuO4," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    2. Tatsuya Miyamoto & Akihiro Kondo & Takeshi Inaba & Takeshi Morimoto & Shijia You & Hiroshi Okamoto, 2023. "Terahertz radiation by quantum interference of excitons in a one-dimensional Mott insulator," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Yiran Ding & Mengqi Zeng & Qijing Zheng & Jiaqian Zhang & Ding Xu & Weiyin Chen & Chenyang Wang & Shulin Chen & Yingying Xie & Yu Ding & Shuting Zheng & Jin Zhao & Peng Gao & Lei Fu, 2021. "Bidirectional and reversible tuning of the interlayer spacing of two-dimensional materials," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-7, December.
    4. Bing Cheng & Di Cheng & Tao Jiang & Wei Xia & Boqun Song & Martin Mootz & Liang Luo & Ilias E. Perakis & Yongxin Yao & Yanfeng Guo & Jigang Wang, 2024. "Chirality manipulation of ultrafast phase switches in a correlated CDW-Weyl semimetal," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    5. Chenhang Xu & Cheng Jin & Zijing Chen & Qi Lu & Yun Cheng & Bo Zhang & Fengfeng Qi & Jiajun Chen & Xunqing Yin & Guohua Wang & Dao Xiang & Dong Qian, 2023. "Transient dynamics of the phase transition in VO2 revealed by mega-electron-volt ultrafast electron diffraction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    6. Fuhao Ji & Auralee Edelen & Ryan Roussel & Xiaozhe Shen & Sara Miskovich & Stephen Weathersby & Duan Luo & Mianzhen Mo & Patrick Kramer & Christopher Mayes & Mohamed A. K. Othman & Emilio Nanni & Xiji, 2024. "Multi-objective Bayesian active learning for MeV-ultrafast electron diffraction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    7. Nathan C. Drucker & Thanh Nguyen & Fei Han & Phum Siriviboon & Xi Luo & Nina Andrejevic & Ziming Zhu & Grigory Bednik & Quynh T. Nguyen & Zhantao Chen & Linh K. Nguyen & Tongtong Liu & Travis J. Willi, 2023. "Topology stabilized fluctuations in a magnetic nodal semimetal," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    8. James L. Hart & Lopa Bhatt & Yanbing Zhu & Myung-Geun Han & Elisabeth Bianco & Shunran Li & David J. Hynek & John A. Schneeloch & Yu Tao & Despina Louca & Peijun Guo & Yimei Zhu & Felipe Jornada & Eva, 2023. "Emergent layer stacking arrangements in c-axis confined MoTe2," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    9. Peng Chen & Charles Paillard & Hong Jian Zhao & Jorge Íñiguez & Laurent Bellaiche, 2022. "Deterministic control of ferroelectric polarization by ultrafast laser pulses," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    10. Jiaojian Shi & Ya-Qing Bie & Alfred Zong & Shiang Fang & Wei Chen & Jinchi Han & Zhaolong Cao & Yong Zhang & Takashi Taniguchi & Kenji Watanabe & Xuewen Fu & Vladimir Bulović & Efthimios Kaxiras & Edo, 2023. "Intrinsic 1 $${T}^{{\prime} }$$ T ′ phase induced in atomically thin 2H-MoTe2 by a single terahertz pulse," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    11. Qiaomei Liu & Dong Wu & Tianyi Wu & Shanshan Han & Yiran Peng & Zhihong Yuan & Yihan Cheng & Bohan Li & Tianchen Hu & Li Yue & Shuxiang Xu & Ruoxuan Ding & Ming Lu & Rongsheng Li & Sijie Zhang & Baiqi, 2024. "Room-temperature non-volatile optical manipulation of polar order in a charge density wave," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.

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