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arXiv · 2005.14100

Ultrafast Mott transition driven by nonlinear electron-phonon interaction

Francesco Grandi·Jiajun Li·Martin Eckstein
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Abstract

Nonlinear phononics holds the promise for controlling properties of quantum materials on the ultrashort timescale. Using nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory, we solve a model for the description of organic solids, where correlated electrons couple nonlinearly to a quantum phonon mode. Unlike previous works, we exactly diagonalize the local phonon mode within the noncrossing approximation to include the full phononic fluctuations. By exciting the local phonon in a broad range of frequencies near resonance with an ultrashort pulse, we show it is possible to induce a Mott insulator-to-metal phase transition. Conventional semiclassical and mean-field calculations, where the electron-phonon interaction decouples, underestimate the onset of the quasiparticle peak. This fact, together with the nonthermal character of the photoinduced metal, suggests a leading role of the phononic fluctuations and of the dynamic nature of the state in the vibrationally induced quasiparticle coherence.

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Francesco Grandi, Jiajun Li, Martin Eckstein. 2020-05-28. Ultrafast Mott transition driven by nonlinear electron-phonon interaction. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.103.l041110

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