TY - JOUR
T1 - Quantum interference between charge excitation paths in a solid-state Mott insulator
AU - Wall, S.
AU - Brida, D.
AU - Clark, S. R.
AU - Ehrke, H. P.
AU - Jaksch, D.
AU - Ardavan, A.
AU - Bonora, S.
AU - Uemura, H.
AU - Takahashi, Y.
AU - Hasegawa, T.
AU - Okamoto, H.
AU - Cerullo, G.
AU - Cavalleri, A.
PY - 2011/2/1
Y1 - 2011/2/1
N2 - Competition between electron localization and delocalization in Mott insulators underpins the physics of strongly correlated electron systems. Photoexcitation, which redistributes charge, can control this many-body process on the ultrafast1,2 timescale. So far, time-resolved studies have been carried out in solids in which other degrees of freedom, such as lattice, spin or orbital excitations3-5, dominate. However, the underlying quantum dynamics of bareg electronic excitations has remained out of reach. Quantum many-body dynamics are observed only in the controlled environment of optical lattices6,7 where the dynamics are slower and lattice excitations are absent. By using nearly single-cycle near-infrared pulses, we have measured coherent electronic excitations in the organic salt ET-F 2 TCNQ, a prototypical one-dimensional Mott insulator. After photoexcitation, a new resonance appears, which oscillates at 25THz. Time-dependent simulations of the Mottg Hubbard Hamiltonian reproduce the oscillations, showing that electronic delocalization occurs through quantum interference between bound and ionized holong doublon pairs.
AB - Competition between electron localization and delocalization in Mott insulators underpins the physics of strongly correlated electron systems. Photoexcitation, which redistributes charge, can control this many-body process on the ultrafast1,2 timescale. So far, time-resolved studies have been carried out in solids in which other degrees of freedom, such as lattice, spin or orbital excitations3-5, dominate. However, the underlying quantum dynamics of bareg electronic excitations has remained out of reach. Quantum many-body dynamics are observed only in the controlled environment of optical lattices6,7 where the dynamics are slower and lattice excitations are absent. By using nearly single-cycle near-infrared pulses, we have measured coherent electronic excitations in the organic salt ET-F 2 TCNQ, a prototypical one-dimensional Mott insulator. After photoexcitation, a new resonance appears, which oscillates at 25THz. Time-dependent simulations of the Mottg Hubbard Hamiltonian reproduce the oscillations, showing that electronic delocalization occurs through quantum interference between bound and ionized holong doublon pairs.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79551642896&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/nphys1831
DO - 10.1038/nphys1831
M3 - Article (Academic Journal)
AN - SCOPUS:79551642896
VL - 7
SP - 114
EP - 118
JO - Nature Physics
JF - Nature Physics
SN - 1745-2473
IS - 2
ER -