arXiv subjects

Junzhi Zhu

Publications and source records attributed to Junzhi Zhu.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

High-energy electronic excitations in La3Ni2O7 by time-resolved optical spectroscopy

Recently, high-temperature superconductivity has been established in bilayer La3Ni2O7, which exhibits a density-wave (DW) transition at ~ 150 K under ambient pressure. The DW order is believed to be linked to superconductivity, as it is suppressed upon the emergence of superconductivity at high pressures. Here, we explore the ultrafast dynamics of high-energy electronic excitations from 10 K to room temperature under ambient pressure using time-resolved optical spectroscopy. Two high-energy electronic excitations at ~1.8 and ~ 2.4 eV, arising from distinct interband transitions, are identified. They exhibit different DW gaps of approximately 54 and 67 meV, respectively, along with relaxation dynamics that can be well described by the Rothwarf-Taylor model. In addition, we observe four coherent Raman-active phonon modes that exhibit distinct coupling with different electronic excitations. The phonon softening with increasing temperature can be well described between ~100 K and room temperature by a semi-quantitative model, which includes thermal expansion and anharmonic phonon-phonon coupling. At cryogenic temperatures, deviations from the measured temperature-dependent phonon frequencies and the model fits suggest an additional contribution from electron-phonon coupling. Our study provides direct evidence of the complex gap structure and phonon dynamics in this material, offering critical insights into the DW mechanism and many-body effects.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Low-frequency interlayer phonon dynamics and photoinduced terahertz absorption in black phosphorus

The strong interlayer coupling in black phosphorus (BP), arising from wavefunction overlap between layers, is critical for understanding its electronic and optical properties. Here, we utilize terahertz (THz) spectroscopy to study phonon dynamics in BP. We identify two peaks at 6 and 8.5 meV in steady-state THz spectra, which are attributed to low-frequency interlayer phonon modes. Both modes exhibit anharmonic phonon coupling behavior below 150 K, manifesting as temperature-dependent red-shifts. Using time-resolved THz spectroscopy, we observe significantly increased THz absorption under photoexcitation, arising from the transient enhancements of the extended Drude component and the oscillator strengths of interlayer phonons in non-equilibrium. These findings highlight the critical role of interlayer phonon dynamics in understanding many-body physics in BP.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Ultrafast charge-transfer dynamics in Ca$_2$CuO$_2$Cl$_2$ from time-resolved optical reflectivity

We employ time-resolved optical reflectivity to investigate the ultrafast dynamics of the charge-transfer gap (CTG) in a parent cuprate compound Ca$_2$CuO$_2$Cl$_2$ (CCOC). We observe a persistent photoinduced red shift of the CTG that lasts up to 1000 ps. The red shift during the slow decay after 10 ps can be well modeled by the localized picture, whereas its maximum value at ~0.9 ps involves additional contribution from the renormalization of the Hubbard U due to screening effect from delocalized electrons. Furthermore, coupling between the mid-gap absorption and a slow acoustic phonon launches coherent oscillations below the CTG, observed as a ~20 GHz modulation with a dispersion independent of the pump fluence. These results demonstrate the tunning of the CTG by light, unveil complex interplay between multiple degrees of freedom, and contribute to a deeper understanding of superconductivity and correlated materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Ultrafast Chirality-dependent Dynamics from Helicity-resolved Transient Absorption Spectroscopy

Chirality, a pervasive phenomenon in nature, is widely studied across diverse fields including the origins of life, chemical catalysis, drug discovery, and physical optoelectronics. The investigations of natural chiral materials have been constrained by their intrinsically weak chiral effects. Recently, significant progress has been made in the fabrication and assembly of low-dimensional micro and nanoscale chiral materials and their architectures, leading to the discovery of novel optoelectronic phenomena such as circularly polarized light emission, spin and charge flip, advocating great potential for applications in quantum information, quantum computing, and biosensing. Despite these advancements, the fundamental mechanisms underlying the generation, propagation, and amplification of chirality in low-dimensional chiral materials and architectures remain largely unexplored. To tackle these challenges, we focus on employing ultrafast spectroscopy to investigate the dynamics of chirality evolution, with the aim of attaining a more profound understanding of the microscopic mechanisms governing chirality generation and amplification. This review thus provides a comprehensive overview of the chiral micro-/nano-materials, including two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), chiral halide perovskites, and chiral metasurfaces, with a particular emphasis on the physical mechanism. This review further explores the advancements made by ultrafast chiral spectroscopy research, thereby paving the way for innovative devices in chiral photonics and optoelectronics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗