Topological defects play a key role in nonequilibrium phase transitions, ranging from birth of the early universe to quantum critical behavior of ultracold atoms. In solids, transient defects are known to generate a variety of hidden orders not accessible in equilibrium, but how defects are formed at the nanometer lengthscale and femtosecond timescale remains unknown. Here, we employ an intense laser pulse to create topological defects in a 2D charge density wave, and track their morphology and dynamics with ultrafast electron diffraction. Leveraging its high temporal resolution and sensitivity in detecting weak diffuse signals, we discover a dual-stage growth of 1D domain walls within 1 ps, a process not dictated by the order parameter amplitude but instead mediated by a nonthermal population of longitudinal optical phonons. Our work provides a framework for ultrafast engineering of topological defects based on selective excitation of collective modes, opening new avenues for dynamical control of nonequilibrium phases in correlated materials.
@article{arxiv.2211.05748,
title = {Ultrafast formation of topological defects in a 2D charge density wave},
author = {Yun Cheng and Alfred Zong and Lijun Wu and Qingping Meng and Wei Xia and Fengfeng Qi and Pengfei Zhu and Xiao Zou and Tao Jiang and Yanfeng Guo and Jasper van Wezel and Anshul Kogar and Michael W. Zuerch and Jie Zhang and Yimei Zhu and Dao Xiang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2211.05748},
year = {2024}
}