Coherent phonon flatband generated in GaAs/AlAs superlattices via layer-selective optical pumping

Zefang Ye, Travis D. Frazer, Haoran Cui, Xun Jia, Feng He, Tengfei Ma, Stephen March, Seth R. Bank, Katherine J. Harmon, Zhan Zhang, Jan Ravnik, Mathias Sander, Yunpei Deng, Roman Mankowsky, Henrik Lemke, Haidan Wen, Stephan O. Hruszkewycz, Simon Gerber, Yan Wang (), Yaguo Wang () and Yue Cao ()
Additional contact information
Zefang Ye: The University of Texas at Austin
Travis D. Frazer: Argonne National Laboratory
Haoran Cui: Reno
Xun Jia: Argonne National Laboratory
Feng He: The University of Texas at Austin
Tengfei Ma: Reno
Stephen March: The University of Texas at Austin
Seth R. Bank: The University of Texas at Austin
Katherine J. Harmon: Argonne National Laboratory
Zhan Zhang: Argonne National Laboratory
Jan Ravnik: Paul Scherrer Institute
Mathias Sander: Paul Scherrer Institute
Yunpei Deng: Paul Scherrer Institute
Roman Mankowsky: Paul Scherrer Institute
Henrik Lemke: Paul Scherrer Institute
Haidan Wen: Argonne National Laboratory
Stephan O. Hruszkewycz: Argonne National Laboratory
Simon Gerber: Paul Scherrer Institute
Yan Wang: Reno
Yaguo Wang: The University of Texas at Austin
Yue Cao: Argonne National Laboratory

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Flatbands, characterized by their dispersionless energy levels in electronic, magnetic, and phononic systems, hold substantial potential for advancements in electronics and quantum information processing. Most flatbands exist in thermal equilibrium and cannot be easily created or annihilated externally, limiting their flexibility as switchable knobs for use in microelectronics and quantum applications. In our work, we demonstrate the generation of a coherent phonon flatband in a GaAs/AlAs superlattice using 800 nm femtosecond laser pulses. This coherent phonon flatband does not correspond to a phonon eigenmode at equilibrium and exhibits strong coupling with two branches of coherently excited longitudinal phonon modes. With molecular dynamics simulations, we show more generally that the coherent phonon flatband can be induced by coherently and spatially modulated optical excitations of superlattice structures. Our results highlight a pathway for coherent phonon flatband creation in the time domain that can be generalized to various superlattice systems, potentially inspiring the realization of coherent flatband generation of other quasiparticles.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62817-4

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