Coherent lattice control from electron-phonon interaction

Optical control of lattice degrees of freedom offers a powerful route to engineer emergent behavior far from equilibrium. We developed an ab initio framework to describe the displacive excitation of coherent phonons and the ensuing electron-phonon interactions. Our approach enables us to accurately model light-induced structural dynamics and transient band-structure renormalisation following photoexcitation [1]. The predictive capability of our method is demonstrated by accurately capturing coherent phonon excitation in elemental antimony (Sb) and the Weyl semimetal tungsten ditelluride (Td-WTe₂). We further apply this method to investigate coherent phonon control of (Td-WTe₂). The results are in good agreement with optical experiments and establish a general pathway to exploit enhanced lattice responses in quantum materials.[2]

[1] C. Emeis, et al. Phys. Rev. X 15, 021039 (2025)

[2] J.G. Horstmann, C. Emeis, et al. arXiv:2508.16422 (2025)