Photoinduced multistage phase transitions in Ta2NiSe5

Ultrafast control of material physical properties represents a rapidly developing field in condensed matter physics. Yet, accessing the long-lived photoinduced electronic states is still in its early stages, especially with respect to an insulator to metal phase transition. Here, by combining transport measurement with ultrashort photoexcitation and coherent phonon spectroscopy, we report on photoinduced multistage phase transitions in Ta2NiSe5. Upon excitation by weak pulse intensity, the system is triggered to a short-lived state accompanied by a structural change. Further increasing the excitation intensity beyond a threshold, a photoinduced steady new state is achieved where the resistivity drops by more than four orders at temperature 50 K. This new state is thermally stable up to at least 350 K and exhibits a lattice structure different from any of the thermally accessible equilibrium states. Transmission electron microscopy reveals an in-chain Ta atom displacement in the photoinduced new structure phase. We also found that nano-sheet samples with the thickness less than the optical penetration depth are required for attaining a complete transition. Examples of photoinduced insulator-to-metal transitions with a long-lived metallic state are rare. Here, the authors report a photoinduced steady metallic state in Ta2NiSe5, characterized by a lattice structure distinct from that of equilibrium states and thermally stable up to 350 K.

Automated summary

Researchers have discovered a unique photoinduced multistage phase transition process in Ta2NiSe5, including a short-lived state and a stable new state, with the latter exhibiting a drastic drop in resistivity by more than four orders of magnitude at 50K with a distinct lattice structure. Additionally, nano-sheet samples with a thickness less than the optical penetration depth are required for achieving complete transition.