_{RTG 2905 Colloquium}

Dynamical Control of Structural Order

Coherent excitation of lattice vibrations has emerged as a powerful approach to dynamically control functional material properties. In this talk, I will present our recent work on using nonlinear phononics—a mechanism that enables the selective displacement of specific lattice vibrations—to manipulate structural functionalities with light [1,2]. In particular, I will discuss how this approach enables the ultrafast control of chirality [3] and ferroaxial order [4], offering new pathways to tailor symmetry and drive phase transitions in solids on demand.

References
[1] Först, et al. Nature Physics 7 (2011): 854-856.
[2] Disa, et al. Nature Physics 17 (2021): 611-618.
[3] Zeng, et al. Science 387.6732 (2025): 431-436.
[4] Zeng, et al. Science 390.6769 (2025): 195-198.