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    Direct Evidence of Interfacial Coherent Electron-Phonon Coupling in Single-Unit-Cell FeSe Film on Nb-Doped SrTiO3

    Mengdi Zhang1, Ruochen Shi2,3, Rui Wu1, Xiaotong Jiao4, Mingxia Shi4, Jiaxin Liu3,5, Yubin Wang4, Wenfeng Dong4, Cui Ding1,4 et al.

    Tingxiao Qin1, Haiyun Liu1,*, Lili Wang4,6,†, Zhenyu Zhang7, Peng Gao2,3, Qi-Kun Xue1,4,6,8, and Qihua Xiong1,4,6,9,‡

    • *Contact author: liuhy@baqis.ac.cn
    • †Contact author: liliwang@tsinghua.edu.cn
    • ‡Contact author: qihua_xiong@tsinghua.edu.cn

    Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 126903 – Published 18 September, 2025

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/qxfc-khzf

    Abstract

    Interface-enhanced superconductivity in single-unit-cell FeSe on SrTiO3 has been extensively pursued recently. The interfacial electron-phonon coupling (EPC) is widely proposed to enhance pairing, yet to be directly verified. Herein, using ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy, we discover a coherent 4.2 THz optical phonon mode that emerges only upon photoexcitation in FeTe/FeSe/SrTiO3 or FeTe/SrTiO3 heterostructures, but is absent in bare Nb-doped SrTiO3 under identical subgap pumping. Atomic-scale electron energy loss spectroscopy in scanning transmission electron microscopy identifies this mode as out-of-plane oxygen vibrations localized at double TiOx terminated interface. Crucially, the phonon amplitude in FeTe/FeSe/SrTiO3 is more than twice as large as that in FeTe/SrTiO3, which can be attributed to higher electron doping that strengthens dipole moments penetrating the FeSe layer, thereby resulting in an enhanced interfacial EPC. Temperature-dependent dynamics further highlight the unique electronic nature of monolayer FeSe in sustaining this robust coupling. These findings provide direct evidence for dipole-mediated interfacial EPC as a critical mechanism of interfacial superconductivity in FeSe/SrTiO3.

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