Shockwave-Enhanced Floquet Engineering in Relativistic Quasiparticles

TL;DR

This paper explores how propagating waves can dynamically modify the electronic states of relativistic quasiparticles, revealing new quantum phases and the significant impact of Lorentz contraction on Floquet band modulation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel regime where Floquet Weyl bands form and transition into Type-II Weyl states, highlighting the role of shockwave-like states and Lorentz contraction in band engineering.

Findings

Discovery of Floquet Weyl bands transitioning to Type-II Weyl states.

Identification of shockwave-like states synchronized with wave motion.

Enhanced Floquet band modulation due to Lorentz contraction.

Abstract

We investigate Floquet engineering of three-dimensional Dirac fermions driven by propagating waves, identifying distinct quantum states and phase transitions in the time-like, light-like, and space-like regimes. Notably, we uncover a novel regime where Floquet Weyl bands emerge and transition into Type-II Weyl states as the wave speed nears the Fermi velocity. Using Floquet-Bloch theory, we demonstrate that Lorentz contraction strongly amplifies Floquet band modulation effects, leading to a shockwave-like state synchronized with the wave motion. These findings extend beyond electrons to quasiparticles with relativistic dispersions, opening new avenues for dynamic band engineering in quantum materials.