Terahertz field-induced metastable magnetization near criticality in FePS3

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Ilyas, Batyr, Luo, Tianchuang, von Hoegen, Alexander, Boström, Emil Viñas, Zhang, Zhuquan, Park, Jaena, Kim, Junghyun, Park, Je-Geun, Nelson, Keith A., Rubio, Angel, Gedik, Nuh
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Ilyas, Batyr
Luo, Tianchuang
von Hoegen, Alexander
Boström, Emil Viñas
Zhang, Zhuquan
Park, Jaena
Kim, Junghyun
Park, Je-Geun
Nelson, Keith A.
Rubio, Angel
Gedik, Nuh
author_facet Ilyas, Batyr
Luo, Tianchuang
von Hoegen, Alexander
Boström, Emil Viñas
Zhang, Zhuquan
Park, Jaena
Kim, Junghyun
Park, Je-Geun
Nelson, Keith A.
Rubio, Angel
Gedik, Nuh
contents Controlling the functional properties of quantum materials with light has emerged as a frontier of condensed-matter physics, leading to the discovery of various light-induced phases of matter, such as superconductivity, ferroelectricity, magnetism and charge density waves. However, in most cases, the photoinduced phases return to equilibrium on ultrafast timescales after the light is turned off, limiting their practical applications. Here we use intense terahertz pulses to induce a metastable magnetization with a remarkably long lifetime of more than 2.5 milliseconds in the van der Waals antiferromagnet FePS3. The metastable state becomes increasingly robust as the temperature approaches the antiferromagnetic transition point, suggesting that critical order parameter fluctuations play an important part in facilitating the extended lifetime. By combining first-principles calculations with classical Monte Carlo and spin dynamics simulations, we find that the displacement of a specific phonon mode modulates the exchange couplings in a manner that favours a ground state with finite magnetization near the Néel temperature. This analysis also clarifies how the critical fluctuations of the dominant antiferromagnetic order can amplify both the magnitude and the lifetime of the new magnetic state. Our discovery demonstrates the efficient manipulation of the magnetic ground state in layered magnets through non-thermal pathways using terahertz light and establishes regions near critical points with enhanced order parameter fluctuations as promising areas to search for metastable hidden quantum states.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_06371
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Terahertz field-induced metastable magnetization near criticality in FePS3
Ilyas, Batyr
Luo, Tianchuang
von Hoegen, Alexander
Boström, Emil Viñas
Zhang, Zhuquan
Park, Jaena
Kim, Junghyun
Park, Je-Geun
Nelson, Keith A.
Rubio, Angel
Gedik, Nuh
Materials Science
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Optics
Controlling the functional properties of quantum materials with light has emerged as a frontier of condensed-matter physics, leading to the discovery of various light-induced phases of matter, such as superconductivity, ferroelectricity, magnetism and charge density waves. However, in most cases, the photoinduced phases return to equilibrium on ultrafast timescales after the light is turned off, limiting their practical applications. Here we use intense terahertz pulses to induce a metastable magnetization with a remarkably long lifetime of more than 2.5 milliseconds in the van der Waals antiferromagnet FePS3. The metastable state becomes increasingly robust as the temperature approaches the antiferromagnetic transition point, suggesting that critical order parameter fluctuations play an important part in facilitating the extended lifetime. By combining first-principles calculations with classical Monte Carlo and spin dynamics simulations, we find that the displacement of a specific phonon mode modulates the exchange couplings in a manner that favours a ground state with finite magnetization near the Néel temperature. This analysis also clarifies how the critical fluctuations of the dominant antiferromagnetic order can amplify both the magnitude and the lifetime of the new magnetic state. Our discovery demonstrates the efficient manipulation of the magnetic ground state in layered magnets through non-thermal pathways using terahertz light and establishes regions near critical points with enhanced order parameter fluctuations as promising areas to search for metastable hidden quantum states.
title Terahertz field-induced metastable magnetization near criticality in FePS3
topic Materials Science
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.06371