Ultrafast laser-driven topological phase patterning

Microscopic and dynamic control over quantum states is essential for bridging fundamental studies of material properties to device function. Realizing such control at combined high spatial resolution and ultrafast temporal precision remains a major challenge. Here, we demonstrate femtosecond laser-driven patterning of topological quantum states in the Weyl semimetal WTe2. By engineering the excitation field into a transient optical grating, we spatially selectively and reversibly drive phase transitions between the topological Td and topologically trivial 1T* phases. Using ultrafast transmission electron microscopy, we directly visualize the formation of a periodic Td/1T* heterostructure, observe the propagation of a phase front, and analyze nanoscale confinement of coherently excited optical phonon modes. Our findings establish a platform for all-optical, spatially programmable, and reconfigurable control of quantum states, paving the way for optically addressable topological devices.

• Publication year

  2026

• Venue

  Unknown venue

• Publication date

  2026-01-07

• Fields of study

  Materials Science, Physics

• Identifiers
  arXiv 2601.03881
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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