Light-wave Control of Non-equilibrium Correlated States using Quantum Femtosecond Magnetism and Time-Periodic Modulation of Coherent Transport

TL;DR

This paper explores how intense lightwaves can control non-equilibrium states in quantum materials, inducing transitions from insulators to metals through non-thermal pathways involving spin-charge dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum kinetic framework to describe lightwave-driven nonlinear transport and non-adiabatic magnetic state transitions in correlated systems.

Findings

Lightwave modulation induces non-thermal insulator-to-metal transitions.

Spin-charge excitations trigger non-adiabatic evolution of magnetic states.

Quantum fluctuations are integral to lightwave-controlled electronic dynamics.

Abstract

Lightwave quantum electronics utilizes the oscillating carrier wave of intense laser fields to control quantum materials properties. Using quantum kinetic equations of motion, we describe lightwave-driven nonlinear quantum transport of electronic spin and charge with simultaneous quantum fluctuations of non-collinear local spins. During cycles of field oscillations, spin-charge inter-atomic quantum excitations trigger non-adiabatic time evolution of an antiferromagnetic insulator state into a metallic non-equilibrium state with transient magnetization. Lightwave modulation of electronic hopping changes the energy landscape and establishes a non-thermal pathway to laser-induced transitions in correlated systems with strong local magnetic exchange interactions.