Local fields reveal atomic-scale nonadiabatic carrier-phonon dynamics.
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| Title: | Local fields reveal atomic-scale nonadiabatic carrier-phonon dynamics. |
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| Authors: | Neb, Sergej (AUTHOR), Shin, Dong-bin (AUTHOR), Burri, Florence (AUTHOR), Hollm, Marko (AUTHOR), de Vos, Erik W. (AUTHOR), Kuznetsov, Denis A. (AUTHOR), Müller, Christoph R. (AUTHOR), Fedorov, Alexey (AUTHOR), Sato, Shunsuke A. (AUTHOR), Rubio, Angel (AUTHOR), Gallmann, Lukas (AUTHOR), Keller, Ursula (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Science. 1/1/2026, Vol. 391 Issue 6780, p75-78. 4p. |
| Subjects: | Electron-phonon interactions, Energy transfer, Transients (Dynamics), Titanium carbide, Time-resolved spectroscopy, Two-dimensional materials (Nanotechnology) |
| Abstract: | Understanding nonadiabatic carrier-lattice interactions at the atomic scale remains a fundamental challenge, yet these processes govern energy transfer in materials and ultimately set limits in microelectronics. We combined attosecond core-level transient absorption spectroscopy with many-body theory to uncover how nonadiabatic electron-phonon coupling drives ultrafast relaxations in a titanium-carbide MXene. Phonon-driven changes in carrier localization modulated local field effects (LFEs), yielding carrier-, site-, and orbital-specific absorption signatures. LFEs served as sensitive fingerprints of electron-phonon coupling strength across the phonon spectrum and revealed a breakdown of the Born–Oppenheimer approximation: Electrons lagged lattice oscillations by 32 ± 8 femtoseconds, whereas holes responded almost instantaneously (7 ± 7 femtoseconds). Our results establish a framework for probing and controlling nonadiabatic carrier-phonon interactions with orbital and site specificity. Editor's summary: Heat dissipation is crucial in microelectronics, yet nonequilibrium thermalization processes in condensed matter, such as ultrafast highly nonequilibrium electron-phonon dynamics, are still not well understood at the atomic scale. Using attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy in combination with many-body theoretical modeling, Neb et al. resolved nonadiabatic, energy-dependent electronic responses to lattice motion with previously inaccessible orbital and site specificity in the prototypical two-dimensional material Ti3C2TX MXene. The presented approach revealed connections between ultrafast carrier localization dynamics and the strength of electron-phonon coupling, marking a major step toward achieving quantum-level control over energy dissipation in quantum materials and suggesting strategies for thermal management in electronics through crystallographic engineering or phonon mode tuning. —Yury Suleymanov [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Understanding nonadiabatic carrier-lattice interactions at the atomic scale remains a fundamental challenge, yet these processes govern energy transfer in materials and ultimately set limits in microelectronics. We combined attosecond core-level transient absorption spectroscopy with many-body theory to uncover how nonadiabatic electron-phonon coupling drives ultrafast relaxations in a titanium-carbide MXene. Phonon-driven changes in carrier localization modulated local field effects (LFEs), yielding carrier-, site-, and orbital-specific absorption signatures. LFEs served as sensitive fingerprints of electron-phonon coupling strength across the phonon spectrum and revealed a breakdown of the Born–Oppenheimer approximation: Electrons lagged lattice oscillations by 32 ± 8 femtoseconds, whereas holes responded almost instantaneously (7 ± 7 femtoseconds). Our results establish a framework for probing and controlling nonadiabatic carrier-phonon interactions with orbital and site specificity. Editor's summary: Heat dissipation is crucial in microelectronics, yet nonequilibrium thermalization processes in condensed matter, such as ultrafast highly nonequilibrium electron-phonon dynamics, are still not well understood at the atomic scale. Using attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy in combination with many-body theoretical modeling, Neb et al. resolved nonadiabatic, energy-dependent electronic responses to lattice motion with previously inaccessible orbital and site specificity in the prototypical two-dimensional material Ti3C2TX MXene. The presented approach revealed connections between ultrafast carrier localization dynamics and the strength of electron-phonon coupling, marking a major step toward achieving quantum-level control over energy dissipation in quantum materials and suggesting strategies for thermal management in electronics through crystallographic engineering or phonon mode tuning. —Yury Suleymanov [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00368075 |
| DOI: | 10.1126/science.aea1523 |
