Ultrafast Current Switching from Quantum Geometry in Semimetals

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that quantum geometric properties in semimetals enable ultrafast, stable current switching upon electric field application, outperforming traditional materials and supported by first-principles calculations.

Contribution

It introduces quantum geometric semimetals as a platform for instantaneous current switching, highlighting the role of quantum geometry and interband coupling.

Findings

Instantaneous current generation upon electric field application.

Superior switching speed compared to metals, semiconductors, and graphene.

First-principles calculations suggest real materials like bilayer graphene can realize this behavior.

Abstract

Technological progress towards next-generation electronics critically relies on achieving faster switching with reduced energy consumption. Because device operation speeds are fundamentally constrained by the intrinsic properties of constituent materials, identifying systems with inherently superior switching capabilities is essential. Here, we propose that semimetallic systems characterized by non-trivial quantum geometry, including quadratic band-touching semimetals and singular flat bands, can serve as a promising platform for ultrafast switching at voltages compatible with modern electronics. We show that, in such quantum geometric semimetals, an electric current is generated instantaneously upon application of a moderate external electric field, reaching its steady-state value. As a consequence, the current exhibits rapid and stable on-off switching behaviour under periodic optical pulse trains, demonstrating robustness under experimentally feasible conditions. In terms of switching speed, this quantum geometric semimetal outperforms conventional metals, semiconductors, and graphene. We identify the microscopic origin of this behaviour as interband coupling governed by the Hilbert-Schmidt quantum distance, together with a finite density of states at the band-touching point. This mechanism further leads to a universal classification of conductivity for both gapless and gapped quantum geometric semimetals. Finally, first-principles calculations suggest realistic material platforms, including bilayer graphene, cyclic graphene, monolayer bismuth and V3F8-in which the predicted instantaneous current switching can be directly realized, further supported by time-dependent density functional theory simulations performed for representative systems.