Photoinduced Dirac semimetal in ZrTe5
Novel phases of matter with unique properties that emerge from quantum and topological protection present an important thrust of modern research. Of particular interest is to engineer these phases on demand using ultrafast external stimuli, such as photoexcitation, which offers prospects of their integration into future devices compatible with optical communication and information technology. Here, we use MeV Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (UED) to show how a transient three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetal state can be induced by a femtosecond laser pulse in a topological insulator ZrTe 5 . We observe marked changes in Bragg diffraction, which are characteristic of bond distortions in the photoinduced state. Using the atomic positions refined from the UED, we perform density functional theory (DFT) analysis of the electronic band structure. Our results reveal that the equilibrium state of ZrTe 5 is a topological insulator with a small band gap of ~ 25 meV, consistent with angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) experiments. However, the gap is closed in the presence of strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in the photoinduced transient state, where massless Dirac fermions emerge in the chiral band structure. The time scale of the relaxation dynamics to the transient Dirac semimetal state is remarkably long, τ ~ 160 ps, which is two orders of magnitude longer than the conventional phonon-driven structural relaxation. The long relaxation is consistent with the vanishing density of states in Dirac spectrum and slow spin-repolarization of the SOC-controlled band structure accompanying the emergence of Dirac fermions.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN); SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities Division
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-76SF00515; SC0012704
- OSTI ID:
- 1702284
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1737414
OSTI ID: 1779470
- Report Number(s):
- BNL--220699-2020-JAAM; 80; PII: 280
- Journal Information:
- npj Quantum Materials, Journal Name: npj Quantum Materials Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 5; ISSN 2397-4648
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English