Phonon scattering mechanisms in WTe$_2$ observed by ultrafast coherent phonon spectroscopy

Abstract

Revealing the mechanisms of phonon scattering is crucial for understanding material properties such as transport characteristics and optical responses. It can be discussed by measuring the temperature dependence of the phonon energy and lifetime. To gain insight into these mechanisms in Weyl semimetal T$_d$-WTe$_2$, we investigated coherent phonons using time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy in a wide temperature range from 4.6 to 300 K. The temperature dependence of the frequency and decay rate of the two high-frequency optical modes was described by the conventional anharmonic phonon-phonon scattering model. In contrast, the low-frequency mode at 2.4 THz exhibited anomalous behavior, which can be interpreted as the contribution of phonon-electron scattering.