Speaker
Description
Metastable and long lived hidden electronic orders in quantum materials are rapidly emerging as platforms for next generation technologies, ranging from ultrafast low power memory, quantum information architectures to advanced lithography and tunable X ray optics. However, materials capable of sustaining such persistent phases remain rare, and the microscopic mechanisms that stabilize them are still not fully resolved.
Here, we use textured extreme UV pulsed excitation to manipulate electronic order in the prototypical quantum material 1T TaS2, renowned for hosting multiple exceptionally long lived hidden states. By applying precise, ultrafast nanoscale strain engineering, we show that the lifetimes of the photoinduced phases can be tuned over several orders of magnitude. Moreover, we demonstrate that distinct hidden electronic orders can be selectively stabilized by tailoring the excitation pathway that drives the phase transition.
Together, these results help map the system’s trajectory through its nonequilibrium phase space, and establish design principles for discovering and controlling materials that support robust, long lived metastable electronic orders.