THz Driven Dynamics in Mott Insulator GaTa4 Se8

GaTa
₄
Se
₈
is a Mott insulator known to exhibit an electric Mott transition, characterized by a drop in electrical resistivity, when an electric field larger than 1 - 10 kV/cm is applied for a few tens of microseconds using electrodes deposited on the sample. Here, we show that a resistivity drop can be induced in this material within less than a picosecond. These dynamics occur after excitation by a high field THz pump pulse and persist for a few picoseconds, well beyond the duration of the pump pulse.