Anomalous Femtosecond Quasiparticle Dynamics of Hidden Order State in URu$_2$Si$_2$

TL;DR

This study uses femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy to investigate the ultrafast quasiparticle dynamics in URu$_2$Si$_2$, revealing how hidden order affects Fermi surface renormalization and quasiparticle lifetimes.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the quasiparticle behavior and Fermi surface changes associated with the hidden order phase in URu$_2$Si$_2$ using advanced time-resolved photoemission techniques.

Findings

Quasiparticle lifetime increases from 42 fs to hundreds of fs in the hidden order phase.

Fermi surface is renormalized with states shifting away from the Fermi level.

Long-lived quasiparticles are key to the hidden order formation.

Abstract

At T$_0$ = 17.5 K an exotic phase emerges from a heavy fermion state in {\ur}. The nature of this hidden order (HO) phase has so far evaded explanation. Formation of an unknown quasiparticle (QP) structure is believed to be responsible for the massive removal of entropy at HO transition, however, experiments and ab-initio calculations have been unable to reveal the essential character of the QP. Here we use femtosecond pump-probe time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (tr-ARPES) to elucidate the ultrafast dynamics of the QP. We show how the Fermi surface is renormalized by shifting states away from the Fermi level at specific locations, characterized by vector $q_{<110>} = 0.56 \pm 0.08$ {\an}. Measurements of the temperature-time response reveal that upon entering the HO the QP lifetime in those locations increases from 42 fs to few hundred fs. The formation of the long-lived QPs is identified here as a principal actor of the HO.