Berry curvature memory through electrically driven stacking transitions

Xiao, Jun; Wang, Ying; Wang, Hua; Pemmaraju, C. D.; Wang, Siqi; Muscher, Philipp; Sie, Edbert J.; Nyby, Clara; Devereaux, T. P.; Qian, Xiaofeng; Zhang, Xiang; Lindenberg, Aaron M.

doi:10.1038/s41567-020-0947-0

Cited by 117 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…In particular, Berry curvature dipole induced photocurrent is closely coupled with ferroelectric orders, offering a unique approach to detect low-energy ferroelectric transition. This was recently theoretically proposed and experimentally verified in ferroelectric few-layer WTe 2 semimetal, opening avenues to the development of nonlinear quantum memory 24,26 . Compared to few-layer WTe 2 , layered MnBi 2 Te 4 is magnetic with tunable nontrivial topology, which may lead to magnetically and electrically controlled large nonlinear photocurrent responses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Electrically and magnetically switchable nonlinear photocurrent in РТ-symmetric magnetic topological quantum materials

Wang

Qian

2020

npj Comput Mater

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Nonlinear photocurrent in time-reversal invariant noncentrosymmetric systems such as ferroelectric semimetals sparked tremendous interest of utilizing nonlinear optics to characterize condensed matter with exotic phases. Here we provide a microscopic theory of two types of second-order nonlinear direct photocurrents, magnetic shift photocurrent (MSC) and magnetic injection photocurrent (MIC), as the counterparts of normal shift current (NSC) and normal injection current (NIC) in time-reversal symmetry and inversion symmetry broken systems. We show that MSC is mainly governed by shift vector and interband Berry curvature, and MIC is dominated by absorption strength and asymmetry of the group velocity difference at time-reversed ±k points. Taking $${\cal{P}}{\cal{T}}$$ P T -symmetric magnetic topological quantum material bilayer antiferromagnetic (AFM) MnBi2Te4 as an example, we predict the presence of large MIC in the terahertz (THz) frequency regime which can be switched between two AFM states with time-reversed spin orderings upon magnetic transition. In addition, external electric field breaks $${\cal{P}}{\cal{T}}$$ P T symmetry and enables large NSC response in bilayer AFM MnBi2Te4, which can be switched by external electric field. Remarkably, both MIC and NSC are highly tunable under varying electric field due to the field-induced large Rashba and Zeeman splitting, resulting in large nonlinear photocurrent response down to a few THz regime, suggesting bilayer AFM-z MnBi2Te4 as a tunable platform with rich THz and magneto-optoelectronic applications. Our results reveal that nonlinear photocurrent responses governed by NSC, NIC, MSC, and MIC provide a powerful tool for deciphering magnetic structures and interactions which could be particularly fruitful for probing and understanding magnetic topological quantum materials.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Electrically and magnetically switchable nonlinear photocurrent in РТ-symmetric magnetic topological quantum materials

Wang

Qian

2020

npj Comput Mater

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“…demonstrated that few‐layered WTe 2 based Berry curvature memory could originate from the interlayer vdW stacking transitions through the in situ Hall transport measurement. [ 168 ] And some theoretical calculations also support this mechanism. [ 169,170 ] The demonstration of ferroelectric polarization with 2D metals breaks the traditional inherent ferroelectric theory, and gives us a new direction of thinking about ferroelectric metal.…”

Section: Ferroelectric Materials and Fe‐gated Heterostructuresmentioning

confidence: 92%

2D Polarized Materials: Ferromagnetic, Ferrovalley, Ferroelectric Materials, and Related Heterostructures

Chu

Wang

et al. 2020

Advanced Materials

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The emergence of 2D polarized materials, including ferromagnetic, ferrovalley, and ferroelectric materials, has demonstrated unique quantum behaviors at atomic scales. These polarization behaviors are tightly bonded to the new degrees of freedom (DOFs) for next generation information storage and processing, which have been dramatically developed in the past few years. Here, the basic 2D polarized materials system and related devices’ application in spintronics, valleytronics, and electronics are reviewed. Specifically, the underlying physical mechanism accompanied with symmetry broken theory and the modulation process through heterostructure engineering are highlighted. These summarized works focusing on the 2D polarization would continue to enrich the cognition of 2D quantum system and promising practical applications.

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“…Besides the temperature driven Td -1 T ′ phase transition, the symmetry of WTe 2 can also be manipulated by means of electric fields, 3 , 14 ultrafast laser pulses, 15 and static pressure. 16 , 17 Reference ( 15 ) reported that a metastable centrosymmetric and topologically trivial metastable phase can be reached within 20 ps after excitation by an ultrafast THz pulse.…”

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confidence: 99%

Manipulation of Stacking Order in Td-WTe₂ by Ultrafast Optical Excitation

Grånäs

Weissenrieder

2021

ACS Nano

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Subtle changes in stacking order of layered transition metal dichalcogenides may have profound influence on the electronic and optical properties. The intriguing electronic properties of Td -WTe 2 can be traced to the break of inversion symmetry resulting from the ground-state stacking sequence. Strategies for perturbation of the stacking order are actively pursued for intentional tuning of material properties, where optical excitation is of specific interest since it holds the potential for integration of ultrafast switches in future device designs. Here we investigate the structural response in Td -WTe 2 following ultrafast photoexcitation by time-resolved electron diffraction. A 0.23 THz shear phonon, involving layer displacement along the b axis, was excited by a 515 nm laser pulse. Pump fluences in excess of a threshold of ∼1 mJ/cm 2 result in formation, with an ∼5 ps time constant, of a new stacking order by layer displacement along the b axis in the direction toward the centrosymmetric 1 T * phase. The shear displacement of the layers increases with pump fluence until saturation at ∼8 pm. We demonstrate that the excitation of the shear phonon and the stabilization of the metastable phase are decoupled when using an optical pump as evidenced by observation of a transition also in samples with a pinned shear phonon. The results are compared to dynamic first-principles simulations and the transition is interpreted in terms of a mechanism where transient local disorder is prominent before settling at the atomic positions of the metastable phase. This interpretation is corroborated by results from diffuse scattering. The correlation between excitation of intralayer vibrations and interlayer interaction demonstrates the importance of including both short- and long-range interactions in an accurate description of how optical fields can be employed to manipulate the stacking order in 2-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides.

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Berry curvature memory through electrically driven stacking transitions

Cited by 117 publications

References 47 publications

Electrically and magnetically switchable nonlinear photocurrent in РТ-symmetric magnetic topological quantum materials

Electrically and magnetically switchable nonlinear photocurrent in РТ-symmetric magnetic topological quantum materials

2D Polarized Materials: Ferromagnetic, Ferrovalley, Ferroelectric Materials, and Related Heterostructures

Manipulation of Stacking Order in Td-WTe₂ by Ultrafast Optical Excitation

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Berry curvature memory through electrically driven stacking transitions

Cited by 117 publications

References 47 publications

Electrically and magnetically switchable nonlinear photocurrent in РТ-symmetric magnetic topological quantum materials

Electrically and magnetically switchable nonlinear photocurrent in РТ-symmetric magnetic topological quantum materials

2D Polarized Materials: Ferromagnetic, Ferrovalley, Ferroelectric Materials, and Related Heterostructures

Manipulation of Stacking Order in Td-WTe2 by Ultrafast Optical Excitation

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Manipulation of Stacking Order in Td-WTe₂ by Ultrafast Optical Excitation