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We investigate coherent phonon oscillations of BaFe$_2$As$_2$ using optical pump-probe spectroscopy. Time-resolved optical reflectivity shows periodic modulations due to $A_{1g}$ coherent phonon of $c$-axis arsenic vibrations. Optical probe beams polarized along the orthorhombic $a$- and $b$-axes reveal that the initial phase of coherent oscillations shows a systematic deviation as a function of temperature, although these oscillations arise from the same $c$-axis arsenic vibrations. The oscillation-phase remains anisotropic even in the tetragonal structure, reflecting a nematic response of BaFe$_2$As$_2$. Our study suggests that investigation on the phase of coherent phonon oscillations in optical reflectivity can offer unique evidence of a nematic order strongly coupled to a lattice instability., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

We investigate the ultrafast dynamics of Cd$_2$Os$_2$O$_7$, a prototype material showing a Lifshitz-type transition as a function of temperature. In the paramagnetic metallic state, the photo-reflectivity shows a sub-picosecond relaxation, followed by a featureless small offset. In the antiferromagnetic state slightly below $T_N$, however, the photo-reflectivity resurges over hundreds of picoseconds, which goes beyond the usual realm of the effective-temperature model. Our observations are consistent with the Lifshitz phase transition of Cd$_2$Os$_2$O$_7$ driven by the evolution of the local magnetic moment.

High surface-mobility, which is attributable to topological protection, is a trademark of three-dimensional topological insulators (3DTIs). Exploiting surface-mobility indicates successful application of topological properties for practical purposes. However, the detection of the surface-mobility has been hindered by the inevitable bulk conduction. Even in the case of high-quality crystals, the bulk state forms the dominant channel of the electrical current. Therefore, with electrical transport measurement, the surface-mobility can be resolved only below-micrometer-thick crystals. The evaluation of the surface-mobility becomes more challenging at higher temperatures, where phonons can play a role. Here, using spectroscopic techniques, we successfully evaluated the surface-mobility of Bi2Te3 (BT) at room temperature (RT). We acquired the effective masses and mean scattering times for both the surface and bulk states using angle-resolved photoemission and terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. We revealed a record-high surface-mobility for BT, exceeding 33,000 cm^2/(Vs) per surface sheet, despite intrinsic limitations by the coexisting bulk state as well as phonons at RT. Our findings partially support the interesting conclusion that the topological protection persists at RT. Our approach could be applicable to other topological materials possessing multiband structures near the Fermi level.

We employ an optical pump-probe technique to study coherent phonon oscillations in Ca$_2$RuO$_4$. We find that oscillation-amplitude of an $A_g$ symmetric phonon mode is strongly suppressed at 260 K, a putative transition point of orbital ordering. The oscillation also shows a gradual but huge change in its $phase$, such that the oscillation even flips over with a 180$^{\circ}$ change across the temperature. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the $A_g$ phonon has an eigenmode of octahedral distortion with conventional tilting along the $a$-axis and antipolar distortion of apical oxygen. Careful inspection of the lattice captures an unusually large antipolar distortion in low-temperature structures, which may play a crucial role for the phase transition at 260 K., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

Carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and graphene have proved to be efficient building blocks for active optoelectronic devices. Especially, the exotic properties of crystalline graphene, such as a linear/gapless energy dispersion, offer a generic route to the development of active photonic modulator at the infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) regime with large modulation depth. Here, we show that graphene oxide (GO), an oxygenated derivative of graphene with randomly distributed molecular defects (e.g., adsorbed water molecules and punched holes), can provide a different way to effectively control broadband THz transmission amplitude, when incorporated into two-terminal electrode devices. Electrically trapped charge carriers within localized impurity states (LIS) of GO, which originate from fully randomized defective structure of GO, results in a large modulation of transmission amplitude (~30%) for broadband THz waves (0.3 ~ 2.0 THz) even at room temperature. Interesting hysteretic behavior observed in the control of broadband THz transmission further confirms the key role of trapped charge carriers in switching of broadband THz waves. The device architecture constructed by simple solution printing of GO onto the two-terminal electrode enables easy-to-implement active photonic devices.

By embedding four-rod resonators inside double-split ring resonators superlattice, a planar composite metamaterial possessing tripod plasmonic resonances is fabricated. Double Fano resonances are observed where a common subradiant driven oscillator is coupled with two superradiant oscillators. As a classical analogue of four-level tripod atomic system, the transmission spectrum of the composite metamaterial exhibits a double Fano-based coherent effect. Transfer of absorbed power between two superradiant oscillators is controlled by manipulating two coupling strengths conjugated through the polarization angle of a normally incident electromagnetic wave., Comment: 28 pages, 12 figures