Light-induced percolative electronic phase transition in the type-II Weyl semimetal <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><msub><mi mathvariant="normal">WTe</mi><mn>2</mn></msub></math>

Xiaoyue Zhou; Fu Deng; Yifan Gao; Yuehua Wu; Yi Chan; Shulei Li; Ning Wang; Junwei Liu; Jingdi Zhang

doi:10.1103/wfl5-cgc4

Letter

Light-induced percolative electronic phase transition in the type-II Weyl semimetal ${WTe}_{2}$

Xiaoyue Zhou^1,*, Fu Deng^1,*, Yifan Gao¹, Yuehua Wu¹, Yi Chan ¹, Shulei Li², Ning Wang ^1,3, Junwei Liu¹, and Jingdi Zhang ^1,3,†

¹Department of Physics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
²School of Optoelectronic Engineering, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, Guangzhou, China
³William Mong Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

^*These authors contributed equally to this work.
^†Contact author: jdzhang@ust.hk

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Phys. Rev. B 112, L161107 – Published 3 October, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/wfl5-cgc4

Abstract

We report on an ultrafast terahertz free-carrier dynamic study of a photoexcited $T_{d} - {WTe}_{2}$ thin film. Above an excitation threshold, we observe a metastable electronic state featuring negative differential terahertz photoconductivity and reduced scattering rate. Detailed electrodynamics analysis and first-principles calculation attribute it to reduced density of states near the Fermi level during the light-induced $T_{d} - 1 T^{'}$ phase transition. Strikingly, the emergence of an unconventional temporal isosbestic point indicates a universal dynamic scaling, strongly suggesting a percolative interaction between the two distinct phases.

Physical Review B

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Light-induced percolative electronic phase transition in the type-II Weyl semimetal ${WTe}_{2}$

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Light-induced percolative electronic phase transition in the type-II Weyl semimetal WTe2

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Light-induced percolative electronic phase transition in the type-II Weyl semimetal ${WTe}_{2}$