Terahertz field-induced giant symmetry modulations in a van der Waals antiferromagnet
Abstract
Strong-field terahertz (THz) excitations enable dynamic control over electronic, lattice and symmetry degrees of freedom in quantum materials. Here, we uncover pronounced terahertz-induced symmetry modulations and coherent phonon dynamics in the van der Waals antiferromagnet MnPS ₃ , in which inversion symmetry is broken by its antiferromagnetic spin configuration. Our time-resolved second harmonic generation measurements reveal long-lived giant oscillations in the antiferromagnetic phase, with amplitudes comparable to the equilibrium signal, driven by phonons involving percent-level atomic displacements relative to the equilibrium bond lengths. The temporal evolution of the rotational anisotropy patterns indicates a dynamic breaking of mirror symmetry, modulated by two vibrational modes at 1.7 THz and 4.5 THz, with the former corresponding to a hidden mode not observed in equilibrium spectroscopy. These effects arise in part from a field-induced charge rearrangement mechanism that lowers the local crystal symmetry and couples to the phonon modes. We uncover a long-lived field-driven response with a complex THz polarization dependence, consistent with a metastable state of reduced symmetry. Through comparison with simulations, we interpret this response in terms of a potential antiferromagnetic-to-ferrimagnetic transition. Our results establish an effective field-tunable pathway for driving excitations otherwise weak in equilibrium.
Related
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BibTeX
@article{haque2026terahertz,
title = {{Terahertz field-induced giant symmetry modulations in a van der Waals antiferromagnet}},
author = {Sheikh Rubaiat Ul Haque and Martin J. Cross and Sangeeta Rajpurohit and Jonah B. Haber and Christopher J. Ciccarino and Alexandra C. Zimmerman and Isabelle J. Sealey and Vadym Kulichenko and Monique Tie and Huaiyu Wang and Sharon S. Philip and Choongwon Seo and Jake D. Koralek and Luis Balicas and Mykhaylo Ozerov and Dmitry Smirnov and Liang Z. Tan and Felipe H. da Jornada and Tadashi Ogitsu and Matthias C. Hoffmann and Tony F. Heinz and Aaron M. Lindenberg},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-78519-4},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78519-4},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Terahertz field-induced giant symmetry modulations in a van der Waals antiferromagnet
AU - Sheikh Rubaiat Ul Haque
AU - Martin J. Cross
AU - Sangeeta Rajpurohit
AU - Jonah B. Haber
AU - Christopher J. Ciccarino
AU - Alexandra C. Zimmerman
AU - Isabelle J. Sealey
AU - Vadym Kulichenko
AU - Monique Tie
AU - Huaiyu Wang
AU - Sharon S. Philip
AU - Choongwon Seo
AU - Jake D. Koralek
AU - Luis Balicas
AU - Mykhaylo Ozerov
AU - Dmitry Smirnov
AU - Liang Z. Tan
AU - Felipe H. da Jornada
AU - Tadashi Ogitsu
AU - Matthias C. Hoffmann
AU - Tony F. Heinz
AU - Aaron M. Lindenberg
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-78519-4
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78519-4
AB - Strong-field terahertz (THz) excitations enable dynamic control over electronic, lattice and symmetry degrees of freedom in quantum materials. Here, we uncover pronounced terahertz-induced symmetry modulations and coherent phonon dynamics in the van der Waals antiferromagnet MnPS ₃ , in which inversion symmetry is broken by its antiferromagnetic spin configuration. Our time-resolved second harmonic generation measurements reveal long-lived giant oscillations in the antiferromagnetic phase, with amplitudes comparable to the equilibrium signal, driven by phonons involving percent-level atomic displacements relative to the equilibrium bond lengths. The temporal evolution of the rotational anisotropy patterns indicates a dynamic breaking of mirror symmetry, modulated by two vibrational modes at 1.7 THz and 4.5 THz, with the former corresponding to a hidden mode not observed in equilibrium spectroscopy. These effects arise in part from a field-induced charge rearrangement mechanism that lowers the local crystal symmetry and couples to the phonon modes. We uncover a long-lived field-driven response with a complex THz polarization dependence, consistent with a metastable state of reduced symmetry. Through comparison with simulations, we interpret this response in terms of a potential antiferromagnetic-to-ferrimagnetic transition. Our results establish an effective field-tunable pathway for driving excitations otherwise weak in equilibrium.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -