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Martin Mootz

Publications and source records attributed to Martin Mootz.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

Learning Spin Hamiltonians from Terahertz Two-Dimensional Coherent Spectroscopy

Effective Hamiltonians connect microscopic interactions to measurable collective behavior in quantum materials, but determining their parameters directly from experiment remains a challenging inverse problem. We introduce a supervised machine-learning framework that infers Hamiltonian parameters from nonlinear terahertz two-dimensional coherent spectra. A calibrated forward model generates spectra from candidate Hamiltonians, a common preprocessing pipeline maps simulated and experimental spectra into the same representation, and a neural network learns the inverse map from spectral fingerprints to microscopic parameters. We demonstrate the approach for rare-earth orthoferrites using a two-sublattice Landau--Lifshitz--Gilbert spin model with exchange, Dzyaloshinskii--Moriya interaction, anisotropies, and damping. Synthetic benchmarks show that nonlinear spectra encode parameters beyond those fixed by the linear response, with inference accuracy tracking the physical spectral sensitivity and robustness against noise improved by using multiple inter-pulse delays. Applied to experimental THz-2DCS data from Sm$_{0.4}$Er$_{0.6}$FeO$_3$, the inferred parameters yield physically reasonable forward simulations, while remaining discrepancies identify limitations of the reduced model. These results establish THz-2DCS as a data-rich platform for effective-Hamiltonian inference and model refinement, enabling experimentally driven identification of microscopic interactions while providing a foundation for understanding, predicting, and ultimately controlling the emergent properties of quantum materials.

physics.comp-ph

Magnetic Brightening and Nanoscale Imaging of Spin-Polarized Helical Edge Modes

Efficient sub-10 nm electric transport remains a major challenge for nanoelectronics due to high losses and impedance mismatches in conventional Drude metals. Despite their promise of dissipationless, reflection-free conduction, topologically protected chiral edge modes remain little explored in their nanoscale spin polarized transport-particularly regarding real-space visualization, magnetic field tunability, and high-frequency edge conductivity. Here, we report magnetic brightening and nanoscale visualization of highly spin-polarizable infrared helical edge states using cryogenic magneto-infrared scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (cm-IR-sSNOM). Our measurements reveal magnetic field-induced near-field conductivity at step edges, uncovering quantum spin Hall spin-splitting modes with enhanced infrared polarizability and slightly narrowed near-field profiles. In addition, the infrared edge electrodynamic response scales nearly linearly with atomic layer number, providing compelling evidence that magnetic-field-induced gaps do not disrupt individual-layer edge states at energies of around 100 meV. These results sharply contrast with microwave and DC transport, where even small magnetically induced gaps decrease edge conduction. Magnetically tunable, topologically robust high-frequency edge modes open a pathway toward ultralow-loss nanoscale interconnects and quantum logic architectures for next-generation microelectronics, spintronics and quantum information science.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Ultrafast Magneto-Pressure Spectroscopy and Control of Correlated Phases in a Trilayer Nickelate

Ultrafast spectroscopy under simultaneous high pressure and magnetic field provides a versatile approach for investigating pressure-driven electronic instabilities and correlated phases, and for probing potential bulk superconducting behavior under extreme conditions. However, such an experimental platform has yet to be implemented, standing as a roadblock to a fuller understanding of nonequilibrium superconductivity and vortex-controlled quasi-particle (QP) dynamics. Here, we bridge this capability gap by developing high pressure (up to 40 GPa), high magnetic field (up to 7 T), cryogenic (down to 5 K) femtosecond spectroscopy, and using it to probe magneto-pressure evolution of quasiparticle dynamics in the trilayer nickelate $\mathrm{Pr}_4\mathrm{Ni}_3\mathrm{O}_{10}$. We observe pronounced critical slowing down of QP relaxation at the charge-density-wave transition, which collapses under applied pressure. At higher pressures, the relaxation instead lengthens at low temperature, consistent with incipient superconducting correlations. However, the negligibel magnetic-field-dependence up to 7~T and absence of vortex-induced pre-bottleneck dynamics--robust signatures observed in our controlled bulk superconducting samples--indicates that any superconducting state under the present pressure conditions is likely non-bulk, filamentary, or strongly inhomogeneous. The magneto-pressure ultrafast capability opens a new avenue for resolving outstanding questions surrounding pressure-induced superconductivity and intertwined orders in correlated quantum materials.

cond-mat.supr-con

Extreme Terahertz Nonlinear Phononics by Coherence-Imprinted Control of Hybrid Order

Coherent control of quantum materials has progressed along two major fronts: nonlinear phononics, which reshapes lattices to induce emergent states, and Floquet engineering, which tailors electronic band reconstruction via time-periodic driving. Both mechanisms face fundamental limitations at terahertz (THz) frequencies: phononic nonlinearities are intrinsically weak in standard lattices, while electronic Floquet states are often constrained by rapid decoherence upon light-off and by a scarcity of coherence-resolved, multi-correlation probes beyond (quasi-)stationary band structures. Here we report an extreme THz nonlinear-phononics mechanism in $\text{Ta}_\text{2}\text{NiSe}_\text{5}$, where a highly susceptible non-equilibrium electronic correlation bath dramatically amplifies lattice nonlinearities under coherent driving. Utilizing THz two-dimensional spectroscopy as a coherence-tomography tool, we resolve an exceptionally rich landscape of approximately 30 distinct multi-order quantum pathways, including high-harmonic phonon generation, multi-quantum coherences, and multi-wave anharmonic cross-mode mixing. The density and complexity of this extreme manifold establishes a new benchmark for THz nonlinear phononics, as the multi-order quantum pathways surpass the limits of conventional lattice responses. These high-order signals collapse above ~100~K, defining an electronic correlation scale of a coherence-imprinted hybrid electronic-phonon order that governs the sustainability of high-order quantum correlations and nonlinear pathways beyond linear and equilibrium responses. Our results establish a route for correlation-boosted, phonon-anchored periodic Hamiltonian engineering and for certifying such periodically-driven states via multi-correlation coherence tomography.

cond-mat.str-el

Terahertz-nanoscale visualization of the microscopic spin-charge architecture of colossal magnetoresistive switching

Resolving sub-10 nm spin switching and the associated terahertz (THz) electrodynamics during the colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) transition is a definitive frontier in reaching the fundamental spatial, temporal, and energy-dissipation limits of spin-based microelectronics and quantum logic architectures. Yet, the requirement of simultaneous control of high magnetic field, cryogenic environment, and nanometer-scale resolution has remained an elusive benchmark for terahertz nanoscopy, leaving the obscured nano-scale high-frequency dynamics of these transitions largely unexplored. Here, we overcome these limitations by utilizing a custom-built cryogenic magneto-THz scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (cm-THz-sSNOM) platform to resolve the nanoscale, THz spectroscopic evolution of the magnetic field-driven CMR transition in a manganite single crystal $\text{Pr}_{2/3}\text{Ca}_{1/3}\text{MnO}_{3}$. Our measurements provide a real-space visualization of the local THz conductivity, capturing the moment that magnetic-field-induced spin switching triggers the phase transition from an antiferromagnetic insulator to a ferromagnetic metal. THz nano-imaging, together with an ellipsoidal near-field model, reveals a multi-scale transition initiated by 1-2 nm isolated spin-flip sites at low magnetic fields, which coalesce into $\sim$15~nm conducting regions as the threshold field is approached. These results provide an in situ, previously inaccessible THz real-space view of CMR switching, establishing a general analysis framework for mapping spin-charge-lattice-orbit-coupled dynamics at spatial scales that transcend the nominal sSNOM resolution.

cond-mat.str-el

Vortex-Controlled Quasiparticle Multiplication and Self-Growth Dynamics in Superconducting Resonators

Even in the quantum limit, non-equilibrium quasiparticle (QP) populations induce QP poisoning that irreversibly relaxes the quantum state and significantly degrades the coherence of transmon qubits. A particularly detrimental yet previously unexplored mechanism arises from QP multiplication facilitated by vortex trapping in superconducting quantum circuits, where a high-energy QP relaxes by breaking additional Cooper pairs and amplifying the QP population due to the locally reduced excitation gap and enhanced quantum confinement within the vortex core. Here we directly resolve this elusive QP multiplication process by revealing vortex-controlled QP self-generation in a highly nonequilibrium regime preceding the phonon bottleneck of QP relaxation. At sufficiently low fluence, femtosecond-resolved magneto-reflection spectroscopy directly reveals a continuously increasing QP population that is strongly dependent on magnetic-field-tuned vortex density and absent at higher excitation fluences. Quantitative analysis of the emergent QP pre-bottleneck dynamics further reveals that, although the phonon population saturates within $\simeq$10~ps, both free and trapped QPs continue to grow in a self-sustained manner--hallmarks of the long-anticipated QP-vortex interactions in nonequilibrium superconductivity. We estimate a substantial increase of $\sim$34\% in QP density at vortex densities of $\sim$ 100 magnetic flux quanta per $\mathrm{\mu m^{2}}$. Our findings establish a powerful spectroscopic tool for uncovering QP multiplication and reveal vortex-assisted QP relaxation as a critical materials bottleneck whose mitigation will be essential for resolving QP poisoning and enhancing coherence in superconducting qubits.

cond-mat.supr-con

Unlocking Quantum Control and Multi-Order Correlations via Terahertz Two-Dimensional Coherent Spectroscopy

Terahertz two-dimensional coherent spectroscopy (THz-2DCS) is transforming our ability to probe, visualize, and control quantum materials far from equilibrium. This emerging technique brings multi-dimensional resolution to the ultrafast dynamics of nonequilibrium phases of matter, enabling new capabilities demanding precise coherent control and measurement of many-body dynamics and multi-order correlations. By mapping complex excitations across time and frequency dimensions, THz-2DCS delivers coherence tomography of driven quantum matter, thus revealing hidden excitation pathways, measuring higher order nonlinear response functions, disentangling various quantum pathways, capturing collective modes on ultrafast timescales and at terahertz frequencies. These experimental features frequently remain obscured in traditional single particle measurements, ultrafast spectroscopy techniques, and equilibrium-based probes. This Review traces the early development of THz-2DCS and showcases significant recent progress in leveraging this technique to probe and manipulate quantum material properties, including nonequilibrium superconductivity, nonlinear magnonics, dynamical topological phases, and the detection of novel excitations and exotic collective modes with potential technological impact. Looking forward, we identify critical opportunities in advancing THz-2DCS instrumentation and experimental strategies that are shaping future applications in THz optoelectronics, quantum information processing, and sensing.

cond-mat.supr-con

Efficient Berry Phase Calculation via Adaptive Variational Quantum Computing Approach

We present an adaptive variational quantum algorithm to estimate the Berry phase accumulated by a nondegenerate ground state under cyclic, adiabatic evolution of a time-dependent Hamiltonian. Our method leverages cyclic adiabatic evolution of the Hamiltonian and employs adaptive variational quantum algorithms for state preparation and evolution, optimizing circuit efficiency while maintaining high accuracy. We benchmark our approach on dimerized Fermi-Hubbard chains with four sites, demonstrating precise Berry phase simulations in both noninteracting and interacting regimes. Our results show that circuit depths reach up to 106 layers for noninteracting systems and increase to 279 layers for interacting systems due to added complexity. Additionally, we demonstrate the robustness of our scheme across a wide range of parameters governing adiabatic evolution and variational algorithm. These findings highlight the potential of adaptive variational quantum algorithms for advancing quantum simulations of topological materials and computing geometric phases in strongly correlated systems.

quant-ph

Unveiling Symmetry Instability induced by Topological Phase Transitions

The symmetry-topology interplay dictates how to define order parameters and classify material ordered phases. However, current understanding of this interplay has been predominately approached from a one-sided perspective, with topological states being classified within the constraints imposed by specific fixed symmetries. Here we complete this full circle by demonstrating spontaneous symmetry breaking that results from a periodic alteration of topological phases induced by light in a centrosymmetric Dirac material ZrTe$_5$. The distinguishing feature is the observation of robust correlation and striking anomalies in the fluence and temperature dependence of key transport parameters.First, both shift current $J_{\text{s}}$ and displacement current $J_{\text{d}}$, arising from interband transition and infrared phonon driving, respectively, along with charge carrier pumping, exhibit similar behaviors. Second, they all peak at similar low pump fluence, followed by a subsequent reduction as the fluence further increases. This behavior cannot be explained by conventional energetically allowed, direct excitations. Third, all the three observables exhibit anomalies when they approach the topological phase transition temperature. These results highlight the unique low-energy pumping behaviors in ZrTe$_5$, characterized by reversible fluence dependence and a 'hinge-like' interaction that connects various electronic and lattice observables, including phonons, charge carriers, and currents. Our findings, supported by model analysis, provide key insights into the fragility of crystalline (inversion) and time-reversal symmetries during the dynamics of topological phase transitions. This fragility drives spontaneous symmetry breaking, evidenced by the synchronized emergence of off-resonant infrared phonons and broken-symmetry photocurrents.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Revealing Fano Resonance in Dirac Materials ZrTe5 through Raman Scattering

We explore the Fano resonance in ZrTe5, using Raman scattering measurements. We identified two closely spaced B2g phonon modes, B2g I and B2g II, around 9 meV and 10 meV, respectively. Interestingly, only B2g I exhibited the Fano resonance, an outcome of quantum interference between discrete phonon modes and continuous electronic excitations. This is consistent with the much stronger electron-phonon coupling of B2g I mode demonstrated by first-principles calculations. Additionally, temperature-dependent measurements highlight an enhanced Fano asymmetry at elevated temperatures, contributed by the thermal renormalization of the band structure and electron-phonon coupling. This study offers insights into the complex interrelation of electron-phonon coupling, thermal effects, and Fano resonances in ZrTe5.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Adaptive variational quantum computing approaches for Green's functions and nonlinear susceptibilities

We present and benchmark quantum computing approaches for calculating real-time single-particle Green's functions and nonlinear susceptibilities of Hamiltonian systems. The approaches leverage adaptive variational quantum algorithms for state preparation and propagation. Using automatically generated compact circuits, the dynamical evolution is performed over sufficiently long times to achieve adequate frequency resolution of the response functions. We showcase accurate Green's function calculations using a statevector simulator on classical hardware for Fermi-Hubbard chains of 4 and 6 sites, with maximal ansatz circuit depths of 65 and 424 layers, respectively, and for the molecule LiH with a maximal ansatz circuit depth of 81 layers. Additionally, we consider an antiferromagnetic quantum spin-1 model that incorporates the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction to illustrate calculations of the third-order nonlinear susceptibilities, which can be measured in two-dimensional coherent spectroscopy experiments. These results demonstrate that real-time approaches using adaptive parameterized circuits to evaluate linear and nonlinear response functions can be feasible with near-term quantum processors.

quant-ph

Two-dimensional coherent spectrum of high-spin models via a quantum computing approach

We present and benchmark a quantum computing approach to calculate the two-dimensional coherent spectrum (2DCS) of high-spin models. Our approach is based on simulating their real-time dynamics in the presence of several magnetic field pulses, which are spaced in time. We utilize the adaptive variational quantum dynamics simulation (AVQDS) algorithm for the study due to its compact circuits, which enables simulations over sufficiently long times to achieve the required resolution in frequency space. Specifically, we consider an antiferromagnetic quantum spin model that incorporates Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions and single-ion anisotropy. The obtained 2DCS spectra exhibit distinct peaks at multiples of the magnon frequency, arising from transitions between different eigenstates of the unperturbed Hamiltonian. By comparing the one-dimensional coherent spectrum with 2DCS, we demonstrate that 2DCS provides a higher resolution of the energy spectrum. We further investigate how the quantum resources scale with the magnitude of the spin using two different binary encodings of the high-spin operators: the standard binary encoding and the Gray code. At low magnetic fields both encodings require comparable quantum resources, but at larger field strengths the Gray code is advantageous. Numerical simulations for spin models with increasing number of sites indicate a polynomial system-size scaling for quantum resources. Lastly, we compare the numerical 2DCS with experimental results on a rare-earth orthoferrite system. The observed strength of the magnonic high-harmonic generation signals in the 2DCS of the quantum high-spin model aligns well with the experimental data, showing significant improvement over the corresponding mean-field results.

quant-ph

Multi-Dimensional Coherent Spectroscopy of Light-Driven States and their Collective Modes in Multi-Band Superconductors

We present a comprehensive theory of light-controlled multi-band superconductivity and apply it to predict distinctive signatures of light-driven superconducting (SC) states in terahertz multi-dimensional coherent spectroscopy (THz-MDCS) experiments. We first derive gauge-invariant Maxwell-Bloch equations for multi-band BCS superconductors. For this, we go beyond previously considered Anderson pseudo-spin precession models to include quantum transport effects. By calculating the THz-MDCS spectra measured experimentally, we then identify unique signatures of finite-momentum Cooper-pairing states that live longer than the laser pulse. These non-equilibrium SC states are characterized by long-lived canting of Anderson pseudo-spins. The pseudo-spin oscillators that describe the properties of these SC states are parametrically driven by both finite-momentum Cooper pairing and by time oscillations of the order parameter relative phase. We show that such strong parametric driving leads to drastic changes in the THz-MDCS spectral shape from the predictions of third-order nonlinear susceptibility calculations. These spectral changes strongly depend on the interband-to-intraband interaction ratio and on the collective modes of the light-driven state.

cond-mat.supr-con

Evidence for highly damped Higgs mode in infinite-layer nickelates

The dynamics of Higgs mode in superconductors, manifested as coherent oscillations of the superconducting order parameter amplitude, provides vital insights into the nature of the superconducting gap structure and symmetry. Here we utilize two-dimensional terahertz coherent spectroscopy to investigate Higgs dynamics of a newly discovered infinite-layer nickelate superconductor. While we observe distinct nonlinear terahertz responses from the superconducting state, well-defined long-lived Higgs modes, as commonly observed in $s$-wave superconductors, are entirely absent in the nickelate film. Instead, we find the coherent nonlinear terahertz response is dominated by the quasiparticle excitations. These observations strongly indicate that the Higgs mode in infinite-layer nickelates is heavily damped by the quasiparticle excitations at arbitrarily low energies, which is a characteristic of $d$-wave pairing symmetry. Additionally, by examining the temperature dependence of the nonlinear terahertz response, we discover short-range superconducting fluctuations in the vicinity of $T_\mathrm{c}$. Our findings provide proof of a new $d$-wave system and establish a foundation for investigating the unconventional superconductivity in nickelates.

cond-mat.supr-con

Low-energy electrodynamics of infinite-layer nickelates: evidence for d-wave superconductivity in the dirty limit

The discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates establishes a new category of unconventional superconductors that share structural and electronic similarities with cuprates. Despite exciting advances, such as the establishment of a cuprate-like phase diagram and the observation of charge order and short-range antiferromagnetic fluctuation, the key issues of superconducting pairing symmetry, gap amplitude, and superconducting fluctuation remain elusive. In this work, we utilize static and ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy to address these outstanding problems. We demonstrate that the equilibrium terahertz conductivity and nonequilibrium terahertz responses of an optimally Sr-doped nickelate film ($T_c$ = 17 K) are in line with the electrodynamics of $d$-wave superconductivity in the dirty limit. The gap-to-$T_c$ ratio 2$\Delta/k_\mathrm{B}T_\mathrm{c}$ is extracted to be 3.4, indicating the superconductivity falls in the weak-coupling regime. In addition, we observed significant superconducting fluctuation near $T_\mathrm{c}$, while it does not extend into the deep normal state as optimally hole-doped cuprates. Our result highlights a new $d$-wave system which closely resembles the electron-doped cuprates, expanding the family of unconventional superconductivity in oxides.

cond-mat.supr-con

Chirality manipulation of ultrafast phase switchings in a correlated CDW-Weyl semimetal

A recently emerging concept for quantum phase discovery is the controlled gapping of linear band crossings in topological semimetals. For example, achieving topological superconducting and charge-density-wave (CDW) gapping could introduce Majorana zero modes and axion electrodynamics, respectively. Light engineering of correlation gaps in topological materials provides a new avenue of achieving exotic topological phases inaccessible by conventional tuning methods such as doping and straining. Here we demonstrate a light control of correlation gaps and ultrafast phase switchings in a model CDW and polaron insulator (TaSe$_4$)$_2$I recently predicted to be an axion insulator. Our ultrafast terahertz photocurrent spectroscopy reveals a two-step, non-thermal melting of polarons and electronic CDW gap via studying the fluence dependence of a {\em longitudinal} circular photogalvanic current. The helicity-dependent photocurrent observed along the propagation of light reveals continuous ultrafast switchings from the polaronic state, to the CDW (axion) phase, and finally to a hidden Weyl phase as the pump fluence increases. Other distinguishing features corroborating with the light-induced switchings include: mode-selective coupling of coherent phonons to polaron and CDW modulation, and the emergence of a {\em non-thermal} chiral photocurrent above pump threshold of CDW-related phonons. The ultrafast chirality control of correlated topological states revealed here is important to realize axion electrodynamics and quantum computing.

cond-mat.str-el

Lightwave Terahertz Quantum Manipulation of Non-equilibrium Superconductor Phases and their Collective Modes

We present a gauge-invariant density matrix description of non-equilibrium superconductor (SC) states with spatial and temporal correlations driven by intense terahertz (THz) lightwaves. We derive superconductor Bloch--Maxwell equations of motion that extend Anderson pseudo-spin models to include the Cooper pair center-of-mass motion and electromagnetic propagation effects. We thus describe quantum control of dynamical phases, collective modes, quasi-particle coherence, and high nonlinearities during cycles of carrier wave oscillations, which relate to our recent experiments. Coherent photogeneration of a nonlinear supercurrent with dc component via condensate acceleration by an effective lightwave field dynamically breaks the equilibrium inversion symmetry. Experimental signatures include high harmonic light emission at equilibrium-symmetry-forbidden frequencies, Rabi--Higgs collective modes and quasi-particle coherence, and non-equilibrium moving condensate states tuned by few-cycle THz fields. We use such lightwaves as an oscillating accelerating force that drives strong nonlinearities and anisotropic quasi-particle populations to control and amplify different classes of collective modes, e.g., damped oscillations, persistent oscillations, and overdamped dynamics via Rabi flopping. Recent phase-coherent nonlinear spectroscopy experiments can be modeled by solving the full nonlinear quantum dynamics including self-consistent light--matter coupling.

cond-mat.supr-con