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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2024
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.07545 |
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| _version_ | 1866914166226288640 |
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| author | Jelic, Vedran Adams, Stefanie Maldonado-Lopez, Daniel Buliyaminu, Ismail A. Hassan, Mohamed Mendoza-Cortes, Jose L. Cocker, Tyler L. |
| author_facet | Jelic, Vedran Adams, Stefanie Maldonado-Lopez, Daniel Buliyaminu, Ismail A. Hassan, Mohamed Mendoza-Cortes, Jose L. Cocker, Tyler L. |
| contents | Light-induced phase transitions offer a method to dynamically modulate topological states in bulk complex materials. Yet, next-generation devices demand nanoscale architectures with contact resistances near the quantum limit and precise control over local electronic properties. The layered material WTe$_2$ has gained attention as a likely Weyl semimetal, with topologically protected linear electronic band crossings hosting massless chiral fermions. Here, we demonstrate a topological phase transition facilitated by light-induced shear motion of a single atomic layer at the surface of bulk WTe$_2$, thereby opening the door to nanoscale device concepts. Ultrafast terahertz fields enhanced at the apex of an atomically sharp tip resonantly couple to the key interlayer shear mode of WTe$_2$ via a ferroelectric dipole at the interface, inducing a structural phase transition at the surface to a metastable state. Subatomically resolved differential imaging, combined with hybrid-level density functional theory, reveals a shift of 7 $\pm$ 3 picometres in the top atomic plane. Tunnelling spectroscopy links electronic changes across the phase transition with the electron and hole pockets in the band structure, suggesting a reversible, light-induced annihilation of the topologically-protected Fermi arc surface states in the top atomic layer. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_07545 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Terahertz control of surface topology probed with subatomic resolution Jelic, Vedran Adams, Stefanie Maldonado-Lopez, Daniel Buliyaminu, Ismail A. Hassan, Mohamed Mendoza-Cortes, Jose L. Cocker, Tyler L. Materials Science Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Light-induced phase transitions offer a method to dynamically modulate topological states in bulk complex materials. Yet, next-generation devices demand nanoscale architectures with contact resistances near the quantum limit and precise control over local electronic properties. The layered material WTe$_2$ has gained attention as a likely Weyl semimetal, with topologically protected linear electronic band crossings hosting massless chiral fermions. Here, we demonstrate a topological phase transition facilitated by light-induced shear motion of a single atomic layer at the surface of bulk WTe$_2$, thereby opening the door to nanoscale device concepts. Ultrafast terahertz fields enhanced at the apex of an atomically sharp tip resonantly couple to the key interlayer shear mode of WTe$_2$ via a ferroelectric dipole at the interface, inducing a structural phase transition at the surface to a metastable state. Subatomically resolved differential imaging, combined with hybrid-level density functional theory, reveals a shift of 7 $\pm$ 3 picometres in the top atomic plane. Tunnelling spectroscopy links electronic changes across the phase transition with the electron and hole pockets in the band structure, suggesting a reversible, light-induced annihilation of the topologically-protected Fermi arc surface states in the top atomic layer. |
| title | Terahertz control of surface topology probed with subatomic resolution |
| topic | Materials Science Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.07545 |