Ultrafast dynamical Lifshitz transition

Fermi surface is at the heart of our understanding of metals and strongly correlated many-body systems. An abrupt change in the Fermi surface topology, also called Lifshitz transition, can lead to the emergence of fascinating phenomena like colossal magnetoresistance and superconductivity. While Lifshitz transitions have been demonstrated for a broad range of materials by equilibrium tuning of macroscopic parameters such as strain, doping, pressure, and temperature, a nonequilibrium dynamical route toward ultrafast modification of the Fermi surface topology has not been experimentally demonstrated. Combining time-resolved multidimensional photoemission spectroscopy with state-of-the-art TDDFT+U simulations, we introduce a scheme for driving an ultrafast Lifshitz transition in the correlated type-II Weyl semimetal T-d-MoTe2. We demonstrate that this nonequilibrium topological electronic transition finds its microscopic origin in the dynamical modification of the effective electronic correlations. These results shed light on a previously unexplored ultrafast scheme for controlling the Fermi surface topology in correlated quantum materials.Y

Automated summary

Fermi surface plays a crucial role in understanding metals and correlated many-body systems. While Lifshitz transitions have been demonstrated in a broad range of materials by equilibrium tuning, an experimental demonstration of a nonequilibrium dynamical route for ultrafast modification of Fermi surface topology is lacking. This study introduces a scheme for driving an ultrafast Lifshitz transition in a correlated type-II Weyl semimetal, shedding light on a previously unexplored ultrafast scheme for controlling Fermi surface topology.