arXiv subjects

Zhong-Tuo Fu

Publications and source records attributed to Zhong-Tuo Fu.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Ultrafast Fluence-Reversal Fingerprint of Fragile Kondo Hybridization in CePt$_2$In$_7$

The emergence of heavy quasiparticles in a Kondo lattice is usually viewed as the formation of a low-energy hybridization gap. Whether this gap represents a rigid electronic structure or a fragile many-body state that can be dynamically reconfigured remains a central question for heavy-fermion systems near magnetic order, quantum criticality, and unconventional superconductivity. Here we use femtosecond pump-probe reflectivity to interrogate this problem in the weakly hybridized Kondo-lattice compound CePt$_2$In$_7$. At low fluence, a slow quasiparticle relaxation channel emerges below $T^* \sim$ 40 K and follows a Rothwarf-Taylor bottleneck response with a low-energy recombination scale 2$\Delta \approx$ 7.4 meV. Coherent optical phonons, independently identified by Raman spectroscopy, act as an internal lattice thermometer and rule out large quasi-equilibrium lattice heating as the origin of the nonlinear electronic response. The phonon-free electronic amplitude $A_{\rm elec}$ reveals a fluence-reversal fingerprint: with cooling from the hybridization-crossover regime, the response evolves from weak-linear behavior to Rothwarf-Taylor-like bottleneck suppression and finally to anomalous high-fluence enhancement at the lowest temperatures. This reversal cannot be accounted for by a rigid fixed-gap bottleneck alone and instead identifies an ultrafast optical signature of photoinduced redistribution of a fragile Kondo-hybridized electronic response.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Cleavage-History-Dependent Low-Temperature ARPES Spectra of Charge-Ordered EuAl$_4$

Charge ordering in EuAl$_4$ has been widely discussed in connection with band reconstruction, magnetism, and topological electronic states, yet the microscopic origin of the complex low-temperature ARPES spectra remains unresolved. Here we combine photon-energy-, temperature-, and cleavage-history-dependent ARPES with first-principles calculations to distinguish intrinsic bulk bands from surface-preparation-dependent spectral weight. Spectra measured on high-temperature-cleaved surfaces, both at 160 K and after cooling to 10 K, are broadly consistent with the calculated three-dimensional bulk electronic structure, whereas low-temperature-cleaved surfaces exhibit additional electron-like bands, replica-like Fermi-surface contours, and a pronounced $\delta$ band near -0.57 eV that is absent from the calculated bulk bands. The additional features are observed at multiple photon energies and on multiple independently cleaved surfaces and are selectively suppressed upon warming, while the bulk-derived bands remain comparatively stable. The $\delta$ band does not emerge when the same high-temperature-cleaved surface is cooled through $T_{\rm CDW}$. Comparison with the projected bulk bands and the calculated spectral function of an ideal Eu-terminated surface further associates the additional bands with the surface electronic structure. These results establish a strong cleavage-history dependence of the low-temperature ARPES spectra and provide spectroscopic criteria for separating surface-reconstruction and bulk charge-order contributions in EuAl$_4$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Electronic Nematicity Revealed by Polarized Ultrafast Spectroscopy in Bilayer La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$

We report a polarized ultrafast pump-probe study of the normal-state electronic dynamics in bilayer La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ and trilayer La$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$ single crystals at ambient pressure. While both nickelates exhibit density-wave (DW) transitions accompanied by the opening of a quasiparticle relaxation bottleneck, their electronic responses display strikingly different symmetry properties. La4Ni3O10 maintains an isotropic optical response across the entire temperature range. In contrast, La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ exhibits a pronounced twofold ($C_2$) anisotropy in its lowtemperature electronic dynamics. This electronic nematicity, evident in both the relaxation dynamics and the polarization-dependent effective bottleneck energy scales, is strongly modified below 115 K, suggesting coupling or competition with a secondary DW-like instability reported by complementary probes. The presence of macroscopic electronic anisotropy in the bilayer system, and its absence in the trilayer system, suggests a possible relation between electronic nematic correlations and the superconducting normal state in a$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ that deserves further exploration.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Nonthermal melting and density wave instability coupled to the lattice in La$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$

The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in pressurized nickelates has renewed interest in the broken-symmetry states of their ambient-pressure parent phases, where a density-wave (DW) order emerges and competes with superconductivity, but its microscopic origin remains unresolved. Using ultrafast optical spectroscopy, we track quasiparticle relaxation dynamics across the DW transition at $T_{\rm DW} \approx$ 136 K in trilayer nickelate {\LNO} single crystals, revealing the opening of an energy gap of $\sim$52 meV. Multiple coherent phonons, including $A_g$ modes near 3.88, 5.28, and 2.09 THz, display pronounced mode-selective anomalies across the transition, indicating that the DW is strongly coupled to lattice degrees of freedom and suggesting an important role of electron-phonon coupling. At higher excitation densities, the DW is nonthermally suppressed, producing a temperature-fluence phase diagram that parallels pressure-tuned behavior. These results establish the DW in {\LNO} as a lattice-entangled instability involving multiple phonon modes, and highlight ultrafast optical excitation as a nonequilibrium tuning parameter for suppressing density-wave order in nickelates.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Ultrafast Optical Evidence of Coexisting Density Waves in Bilayer Nickelate La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$

Utilizing ultrafast optical pump-probe spectroscopy, we investigate the coexistence and competition of electronic orders in the bilayer nickelate La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$. Our results reveal two coexisting density waves that can be selectively manipulated with light. We directly identify a spin-density wave (SDW) with electronic nematicity emerging below $T_{\rm SDW}$ $\approx$ 140 K by measuring its spin dynamics, and discover a distinct, nonmagnetic charge order appearing below $T_{\rm DW}$ $\approx$ 115 K. The central finding is the demonstration of differential optical control: the charge order is fragile, completely suppressed by a pump fluence of approximately 40 $μ$J/cm$^2$, while the SDW is remarkably robust, persisting to 200 $μ$J/cm$^2$. This work establishes a clear hierarchy in the stability of competing electronic orders and provides a powerful method for disentangling their interplay in quantum materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗