arXiv subjects

Wei-Tao Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Wei-Tao Liu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Observation of topological surface phonons in diamond with nonlinear optics

Topological quantum states in electronic systems have profoundly transformed the understanding of phases of matter. Recent theories predict novel vibrational topological quantum states, i.e., topological phonons in various solids. However, this paradigm is yet to be established due to the lack of convincing experimental verification of topological surface phonons---a hallmark signature of topological phonon states. Here, we report the discovery of topological surface phonons in diamond using sum-frequency spectroscopy---a nonlinear optical spectroscopy capable of probing surface phonons with high sensitivity. Diamond, known for exceptional hardness and thermal transport, is unveiled as a phonon topological semimetal hosting topological nodal-lines and nexus triple points in the bulk. With consistent theory and experiments, we uncover the resultant topological surface phonons on diamond (111) and (100) surfaces. Moreover, by chemically modifying these surfaces, we reveal the disorder effect on topological surface phonons. These findings pave the way for bridging two fundamental domains: quantum topology and lattice dynamics, besides having important implications on diamond-based devices and functional interfaces.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Observation of Moiré Time Crystal in Floquet-driven Rydberg Atomic Gases

A Moiré time crystal is a non-equilibrium quantum phase emerging from the coherent interference of two distinct frequencies, at least one being the intrinsic oscillation of a symmetry-broken time crystal. Its hallmark is an ultra-long beat period, reflecting a time-domain mapping of the Moiré fringes that arise from mismatched spatial lattices. However, to date, no experimental realization of such a Moiré time crystal has been reported. In this work, by applying a bichromatic driving field with two distinct frequencies, we demonstrate that the interplay between long-range Rydberg interactions and dissipation gives rise to a unique comb-like Moiré pattern characterized by a beat-note comb, which superimposes subharmonic periodicity and fundamental frequencies. This Moiré pattern formed by two mismatched drives is staggered in the spectrum as the frequency of one driver changes. We experimentally map the phase diagram of the system and identify a robust region where the Moiré temporal order persists against perturbations in laser detuning. The reported Moiré time crystal not only provides a controllable platform for exploring emergent slow-fast dynamics and synthetic space-time symmetries but also opens avenues for engineering complex temporal order in driven quantum many-body systems.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2025

Time-Reversal Symmetry Protected Transport at Correlated Oxide Interfaces

Time-reversal symmetry (TRS) protection is core to topological physics, yet its role in correlated oxides-typically non-topological-remains underexplored. This limit hampers the potential in engineering exotic quantum states by fusing TRS protection and the rich emergent phenomena in the oxide platform. Here, we report evidence of a TRS-protected subband at oxygen vacancy-free LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces. This subband causes a low-field quantum oscillation with anomalous characters: exceptionally light electron mass, aperiodicity, and susceptibility to magnetic fields. All findings align with a Rashba model in which TRS-protected transport occurs along quasi-1D ferroelastic domain walls, which possess a Dirac band topology and a giant Rashba spin-orbit coupling, two orders stronger than the 2D interface. Our results deepen the understanding of SrTiO3-based electron systems, unveiling an appealing new platform for quantum engineering.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Resolving and routing the magnetic polymorphs in 2D layered antiferromagnet

Polymorphism, commonly denoting the variety of molecular or crystal structures, is a vital element in many natural science disciplines. In van der Waals layered antiferromagnets, a new type of magnetic polymorphism is allowed by having multiple layer-selective magnetic structures with the same total magnetization. However, resolving and manipulating such magnetic polymorphs remain a great challenge. Here we use the phase-resolved magnetic second-harmonic generation microscopy to elucidate such magnetic polymorphism in the 2D semiconducting layered antiferromagnet chromium sulfur bromide (CrSBr), and demonstrate how the magnetic polymorphs can be deterministically switched in an unprecedented layer-selective manner. With the nonlinear magneto-optical technique unveiling the magnetic symmetry information through the amplitude and phase of light, we could unambiguously resolve the polymorphic spin-flip transitions in CrSBr bilayers and tetralayers. Remarkably, the deterministic routing of polymorphic transitions originates from the breaking of energy degeneracy via a magnetic layer-sharing effect: the spin-flip transitions in a tetralayer are governed by the laterally extended bilayer, which acts as a control bit. We envision such controllable magnetic polymorphism to be ubiquitous for van der Waals layered antiferromagnets, and could lead to conceptually new design and construction of spintronic and opto-spintronic devices for probabilistic computation and neuromorphic engineering.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Bayesian Recursive Information Optical Imaging: A Ghost Imaging Scheme Based on Bayesian Filtering

Computational imaging~(CI) has been attracting a lot of interest in recent years for its superiority over traditional imaging in various applications. In CI systems, information is generally acquired in an encoded form and subsequently decoded via processing algorithms, which is quite in line with the information transmission mode of modern communication, and leads to emerging studies from the viewpoint of information optical imaging. Currently, one of the most important issues to be theoretically studied for CI is to quantitatively evaluate the fundamental ability of information acquisition, which is essential for both objective performance assessment and efficient design of imaging system. In this paper, by incorporating the Bayesian filtering paradigm, we propose a framework for CI that enables quantitative evaluation and design of the imaging system, and demonstate it based on ghost imaging. In specific, this framework can provide a quantitative evaluation on the acquired information through Fisher information and Cramér-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB), and the intrinsic performance of the imaging system can be accessed in real-time. With simulation and experiments, the framework is validated and compared with existing linear unbiased algorithms. In particular, the image retrieval can reach the CRLB. Furthermore, information-driven adaptive design for optimizing the information acquisition procedure is also achieved. By quantitative describing and efficient designing, the proposed framework is expected to promote the practical applications of CI techniques.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Extrinsic nonlinear Kerr rotation in topological materials under a magnetic field

Topological properties in quantum materials are often governed by symmetry and tuned by crystal structure and external fields, and hence symmetry-sensitive nonlinear optical measurements in a magnetic field are a valuable probe. Here we report nonlinear magneto-optical second harmonic generation (SHG) studies of non-magnetic topological materials including bilayer WTe2, monolayer WSe2 and bulk TaAs. The polarization-resolved patterns of optical SHG under magnetic field show nonlinear Kerr rotation in these time-reversal symmetric materials. For materials with three-fold rotational symmetric lattice structure, the SHG polarization pattern rotates just slightly in a magnetic field, whereas in those with mirror or two-fold rotational symmetry the SHG polarization pattern rotates greatly and distorts. These different magneto-SHG characters can be understood by considering the superposition of the magnetic field-induced time-noninvariant nonlinear optical tensor and the crystal-structure-based time-invariant counterpart. The situation is further clarified by scrutinizing the Faraday rotation, whose subtle interplay with crystal symmetry accounts for the diverse behavior of the extrinsic nonlinear Kerr rotation in different materials. Our work illustrates the application of magneto-SHG techniques to directly probe nontrivial topological properties, and underlines the importance of minimizing extrinsic nonlinear Kerr rotation in polarization-resolved magneto-optical studies.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Ghost Aperture Synthesis Imaging with Computational Aberration Cancellation

Although optical aperture synthesis has been generally regarded as the only access to very large imager for over a century, the problem of phasing all the giant sub-apertures on the scale of wavelength is still prohibitive. Besides, the accompanied adaptive optics combatting the atmospheric turbulence is also bulky and complicated. We here propose a new paradigm aperture synthesis imager through turbulence, based on computational ghost imaging method. The complex aberrations on the signal path are computationally cancelled by introducing an optimum compensation phase on the reference path. With the advanced aberration cancellation, our imager is free from phasing and aberrations problem. The image degradation due to turbulence is also suppressed and even eliminated without any guide star or wavefront shaping device. Experimentally, diffraction-limited imaging is achieved under turbulence featuring transverse coherence length far less than the optical aperture of the system.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Single-pixel Tracking and Imaging under Weak Illumination

Under weak illumination, tracking and imaging moving object turns out to be hard. By spatially collecting the signal, single pixel imaging schemes promise the capability of image reconstruction from low photon flux. However, due to the requirement on large number of samplings, how to clearly image moving objects is an essential problem for such schemes. Here we present a principle of single pixel tracking and imaging method. Velocity vector of the object is obtained from temporal correlation of the bucket signals in a typical computational ghost imaging system. Then the illumination beam is steered accordingly. Taking the velocity into account, both trajectory and clear image of the object are achieved during its evolution. Since tracking is achieved with bucket signals independently, this scheme is valid for capturing moving object as fast as its displacement within the interval of every sampling keeps larger than the resolution of the optical system. Experimentally, our method works well with the average number of detected photons down to 1.88 photons/speckle.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Giant and nonreciprocal second harmonic generation from layered antiferromagnetism in bilayer CrI3

Layered antiferromagnetism is the spatial arrangement of ferromagnetic layers with antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling. Recently, the van der Waals magnet, chromium triiodide (CrI3), emerged as the first layered antiferromagnetic insulator in its few-layer form, opening up ample opportunities for novel device functionalities. Here, we discovered an emergent nonreciprocal second order nonlinear optical effect in bilayer CrI3. The observed second harmonic generation (SHG) is giant: several orders of magnitude larger than known magnetization induced SHG and comparable to SHG in the best 2D nonlinear optical materials studied so far (e.g. MoS2). We showed that while the parent lattice of bilayer CrI3 is centrosymmetric and thus does not contribute to the SHG signal, the observed nonreciprocal SHG originates purely from the layered antiferromagnetic order, which breaks both spatial inversion and time reversal symmetries. Furthermore, polarization-resolved measurements revealed the underlying C2h symmetry, and thus monoclinic stacking order in CrI3 bilayers, providing crucial structural information for the microscopic origin of layered antiferromagnetism. Our results highlight SHG as a highly sensitive probe that can reveal subtle magnetic order and open novel nonlinear and nonreciprocal optical device possibilities based on 2D magnets.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Chiral selection rules for multi-photon processes in two-dimensional honeycomb materials

We examined the chirality dependent optical selection rules in two-dimensional monolayer materials with the honeycomb lattice, and based on symmetry argument, we generalized these rules to multi-photon transitions of arbitrary orders. We also presented the phase relations between incident and outgoing photons in such processes. The results agreed nicely with our experimental observations of second and third harmonic generations. In particular, we demonstrated that the phase relation of chiral second harmonic generation can serve as a handy tool for imaging domains and domain boundaries of these monolayers. Our results can benefit future studies on chirality related optical phenomena and opto-electronic applications of such materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Doping Induced Second Harmonic Generation in Centrosymmetric Graphene from Quadrupole Response

For centrosymmetric materials such as monolayer graphene, no optical second harmonic generation (SHG) is generally expected because it is forbidden under the electric-dipole approximation. Yet we observed a strong, doping induced SHG from graphene, with its highest strength comparable to the electric-dipole allowed SHG in non-centrosymmetric 2D materials. This novel SHG has the nature of an electric-quadrupole response, arising from the effective breaking of inversion symmetry by optical dressing with an in-plane photon wave vector. More remarkably, the SHG is widely tuned by carrier doping or chemical potential, being sharply enhanced at Fermi edge resonances, but vanishing at the charge neutral point that manifests the electron-hole symmetry of massless Dirac Fermions. The striking behavior in graphene, which should also arise in graphene-like Dirac materials, expands the scope of nonlinear optics, and holds the promise of novel optoelectronic and photonic applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Stacking-symmetry governed second harmonic generation in graphene trilayers

Crystal symmetry plays a central role in governing a wide range of fundamental physical phenomena. One example is the nonlinear optical second harmonic generation (SHG), which requires inversion symmetry breaking. Here we report a unique stacking-induced SHG in trilayer graphene, whose individual monolayer sheet is centrosymmetric. Depending on layer stacking sequence, we observe a strong optical SHG in Bernal (ABA) stacked non-centrosymmetric trilayer, while it vanishes in rhombohedral (ABC) stacked one which preserves inversion symmetry. This highly contrasting SHG due to the distinct stacking symmetry enables us to map out the ABA and ABC crystal domains in otherwise homogeneous graphene trilayer. The extracted second order nonlinear susceptibility of the ABA trilayer is surprisingly large, comparable to the best known 2D semiconductors enhanced by excitonic resonance. Our results reveal a novel stacking order induced nonlinear optical effect, as well as unleash the opportunity for studying intriguing physical phenomena predicted for stacking-dependent ABA and ABC graphene trilayers.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Gate tunable third-order nonlinear optical response of massless Dirac fermions in graphene

Materials with massless Dirac fermions can possess exceptionally strong and widely tunable optical nonlinearities. Experiments on graphene monolayer have indeed found very large third-order nonlinear responses, but the reported variation of the nonlinear optical coefficient by orders of magnitude is not yet understood. A large part of the difficulty is the lack of information on how doping or chemical potential affects the different nonlinear optical processes. Here we report the first experimental study, in corroboration with theory, on third harmonic generation (THG) and four-wave mixing (FWM) in graphene that has its chemical potential tuned by ion-gel gating. THG was seen to have enhanced by ~30 times when pristine graphene was heavily doped, while difference-frequency FWM appeared just the opposite. The latter was found to have a strong divergence toward degenerate FWM in undoped graphene, leading to a giant third-order nonlinearity. These truly amazing characteristics of graphene come from the possibility to gate-control the chemical potential, which selectively switches on and off one- and multi-photon resonant transitions that coherently contribute to the optical nonlinearity, and therefore can be utilized to develop graphene-based nonlinear optoelectronic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Ultrasensitive Inverse Weak-Value Tilt Meter

We present an interferometric technique for measuring ultra-small tilts. The information of a tilt in one of the mirrors of a modified Sagnac interferometer is carried by the phase difference between the counter propagating laser beams. Using a small misalignment of the interferometer, orthogonal to the plane of the tilt, a bimodal (or two-fringe) pattern is induced in the beam's transverse power distribution. By tracking the mean of such a distribution, using a split detector, a sensitive measurement of the phase is performed. With 1.2 mW of continuous-wave laser power, the technique has a shot noise limited sensitivity of 56 frad/$\sqrt{\mbox{Hz}}$, and a measured noise floor of 200 frad/$\sqrt{\mbox{Hz}}$ for tilt frequencies above 2 Hz. A tilt of 200 frad corresponds to a differential displacement of 4.0 fm in our setup. The novelty of the protocol relies on signal amplification due to the misalignment, and on good performance at low frequencies. A noise floor of about 70 prad/$\sqrt{\mbox{Hz}}$ is observed between 2 and 100 mHz.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Anomalous Amplification of a Homodyne signal via Almost-Balanced Weak Values

The technique of almost-balanced weak values amplification (ABWV) was recently proposed [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116: 100803 (2016)]. We demonstrate this technique using a modified Sagnac interferometer, where the counter-propagating beams are spatially separated. The separation between the two beams provides additional amplification, with respect to using colinear beams in a Sagnac interferometer. As a demonstration of the technique, we perform measurements of the angular velocity in one of the mirrors of the interferometer. Within the same setup, the weak-value amplification technique is also performed for comparison. Much higher amplification factors can be obtained using the almost-balanced weak values technique, with the best one achieved in our experiments being as high as $1.2\times10^7$. In addition, the amplification factor monotonically increases with decreasing post-selection phase for the ABWV case in our experiments, which is not the case for weak-value amplification at small post-selection phases.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Complementary weak-value amplification with concatenated postselections

We measure a transverse momentum kick in a Sagnac interferometer using weak-value amplification with two postselections. The first postselection is controlled by a polarization dependent phase mismatch between both paths of a Sagnac interferometer and the second postselection is controlled by a polarizer at the exit port. By monitoring the darkport of the interferometer, we study the complementary amplification of the concatenated postselections, where the polarization extinction ratio is greater than the contrast of the spatial interference. In this case, we find an improvement in the amplification of the signal of interest by introducing a second postselection to the system.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Can Anomalous Amplification be Attained Without Postselection?

We present a parameter estimation technique based on performing joint measurements of a weak interaction away from the weak-value-amplification approximation. Two detectors are used to collect full statistics of the correlations between two weakly entangled degrees of freedom. Without the need of postselection, the protocol resembles the anomalous amplification of an imaginary-weak-value-like response. The amplification is induced in the difference signal of both detectors allowing robustness to different sources of technical noise, and offering in addition the advantages of balanced signals for precision metrology. All of the Fisher information about the parameter of interest is collected, and a phase controls the amplification response. We experimentally demonstrate the proposed technique by measuring polarization rotations in a linearly polarized laser pulse. The effective sensitivity and precision of a split detector is increased when compared to a conventional continuous-wave balanced detection technique.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Realization of GHZ-like and W-like Third-order Spatial Correlation with Classical Light

The spatial correlation with classical lights, which has some similar aspects as that with entangled lights, is an interesting and fundamentally important topic. But the features of high-order spatial correlation with classical lights are not well known, and the types of high-order correlations produced are of limit. Here, we propose a scheme to produce third-order spatial correlated states by modulating the phases of three laser beams. With the scheme we can produce Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger-type (GHZ-type) and W-type spatial correlations with different phase modulations. Our scheme can be easily generalized to produce $N$-order spatial correlation states and to probe the aspects of different multi-partite spatial correlations.

quant-ph↗