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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Nonlinear terahertz phononics in the Dirac semimetal Cd3As2

Ahmed Ghalgaoui1,2,*, Fan Yang3, Patrick Pilch1, Taehee Kang2,4, Matthias Runge2, Shengying Yue5, Yubi Chen6, Yunkun Yang7, Faxian Xiu7 et al.

Xian-Lei Sheng3, Shengyuan A. Yang8, and Zhe Wang1

  • *Contact author: ahmed.ghalgaoui@tu-dortmund.de
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Phys. Rev. B 112, L041117 – Published 16 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/y2bx-tkkq

Abstract

The coherent lattice dynamics in the three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 is investigated in the nonperturbative regime of light-matter interaction using coherent two-dimensional terahertz (THz) spectroscopy, as a function of time delay and field strength. The phase-resolved nonlinear signal reveals a coherent phonon mode at 1.48 THz, corresponding to the B2g Raman-active mode, characterized by the periodic motion of two cadmium atoms in the substructure toward and away from two cadmium-vacant sites. The interaction of a strong THz electric field with the 3D Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 leads to transient charge carrier imbalance via tunneling ionization, which results in a displacive force that drives the lattice dynamics of a noninteracting Raman-active mode. The selective excitation of otherwise inaccessible phonon modes enables precise control over the material's properties at the atomic level, opening new pathways to manipulate its topological characteristics.

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. B 112, L041117– Published 16 July, 2025
  • Received 15 October 2024
  • Revised 8 May 2025
  • Accepted 11 July 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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