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Title: Tracking Ultrafast Photocurrents in the Weyl Semimetal TaAs Using THz Emission Spectroscopy

Abstract

We investigate here polarization-dependent ultrafast photocurrents in the Weyl semimetal TaAs using terahertz (THz) emission spectroscopy. Our results reveal that highly directional, transient photocurrents are generated along the noncentrosymmetric c axis regardless of incident light polarization, while helicity-dependent photocurrents are excited within the ab plane. This is consistent with earlier static photocurrent experiments, and demonstrates on the basis of both the physical constraints imposed by symmetry and the temporal dynamics intrinsic to current generation and decay that optically induced photocurrents in TaAs are inherent to the underlying crystal symmetry of the transition metal monopnictide family of Weyl semimetals.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [5];  [1];  [4];  [3];  [1];  [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Univ. of Groningen (Netherlands). Zernike Inst. for Advanced Materials
  3. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China). Inst. of Physics
  4. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy. California NanoSystems Inst.
  5. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Nanjing Univ. (China). School of Physics
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for the Advancement of Topological Semimetals (CATS); Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1542840
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1512837
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-18-26789
Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
Grant/Contract Number:  
89233218CNA000001; AC02-07CH11358; SC0011978
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 122; Journal Issue: 19; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY

Citation Formats

Sirica, N., Tobey, R. I., Zhao, L. X., Chen, G. F., Xu, B., Yang, R., Shen, B., Yarotski, D. A., Bowlan, P., Trugman, S. A., Zhu, J. -X., Dai, Y. M., Azad, A. K., Ni, N., Qiu, X. G., Taylor, A. J., and Prasankumar, R. P. Tracking Ultrafast Photocurrents in the Weyl Semimetal TaAs Using THz Emission Spectroscopy. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.197401.
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Sirica, N., Tobey, R. I., Zhao, L. X., Chen, G. F., Xu, B., Yang, R., Shen, B., Yarotski, D. A., Bowlan, P., Trugman, S. A., Zhu, J. -X., Dai, Y. M., Azad, A. K., Ni, N., Qiu, X. G., Taylor, A. J., & Prasankumar, R. P. Tracking Ultrafast Photocurrents in the Weyl Semimetal TaAs Using THz Emission Spectroscopy. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.197401
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Sirica, N., Tobey, R. I., Zhao, L. X., Chen, G. F., Xu, B., Yang, R., Shen, B., Yarotski, D. A., Bowlan, P., Trugman, S. A., Zhu, J. -X., Dai, Y. M., Azad, A. K., Ni, N., Qiu, X. G., Taylor, A. J., and Prasankumar, R. P. Wed . "Tracking Ultrafast Photocurrents in the Weyl Semimetal TaAs Using THz Emission Spectroscopy". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.197401. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1542840.
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@article{osti_1542840,
title = {Tracking Ultrafast Photocurrents in the Weyl Semimetal TaAs Using THz Emission Spectroscopy},
author = {Sirica, N. and Tobey, R. I. and Zhao, L. X. and Chen, G. F. and Xu, B. and Yang, R. and Shen, B. and Yarotski, D. A. and Bowlan, P. and Trugman, S. A. and Zhu, J. -X. and Dai, Y. M. and Azad, A. K. and Ni, N. and Qiu, X. G. and Taylor, A. J. and Prasankumar, R. P.},
abstractNote = {We investigate here polarization-dependent ultrafast photocurrents in the Weyl semimetal TaAs using terahertz (THz) emission spectroscopy. Our results reveal that highly directional, transient photocurrents are generated along the noncentrosymmetric c axis regardless of incident light polarization, while helicity-dependent photocurrents are excited within the ab plane. This is consistent with earlier static photocurrent experiments, and demonstrates on the basis of both the physical constraints imposed by symmetry and the temporal dynamics intrinsic to current generation and decay that optically induced photocurrents in TaAs are inherent to the underlying crystal symmetry of the transition metal monopnictide family of Weyl semimetals.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.197401},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
number = 19,
volume = 122,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Wed May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.197401
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    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Circular photogalvanic spectroscopy of Rashba splitting in 2D hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite multiple quantum wells
    journal, January 2020

    Chiral terahertz wave emission from the Weyl semimetal TaAs
    journal, February 2020

    Helicity-dependent terahertz photocurrent and phonon dynamics in hybrid metal halide perovskites
    journal, December 2019

    • Cheng, D.; Liu, Z.; Luo, L.
    • The Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 151, Issue 24
    • DOI: 10.1063/1.5127767

    Chiral terahertz wave emission from the Weyl semimetal TaAs
    text, January 2019

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