The application of dynamic strain holds the potential to manipulate topological invariants in topological quantum materials. This study investigates dynamic structural deformation and strain modulation in the Weyl semimetal WTe2, focusing on the microscopic regions with static strain defects. The interplay of static strain fields, at local line defects, with dynamic strain induced from photo-excited coherent acoustic phonons results in the formation of local standing waves at the defect sites. The dynamic structural distortion is precisely determined utilizing ultrafast electron microscopy with nanometer spatial and gigahertz temporal resolutions. Numerical simulations are employed to interpret the experimental results and explain the mechanism for how the local strain fields are transiently modulated through light-matter interaction. This research provides the experimental foundation for investigating predicted phenomena such as the mixed axial-torsional anomaly, acoustogalvanic effect, and axial magnetoelectric effects in Weyl semimetals, and paves the road to manipulate quantum invariants through transient strain fields in quantum materials.

Thermoelectric materials play a vital role in the pursuit of a sustainable energy system by allowing the conversion of waste heat to electric energy. Low thermal conductivity is essential to achieving high-efficiency conversion. The conductivity depends on an interplay between the phononic and electronic properties of the nonequilibrium state. Therefore, obtaining a comprehensive understanding of nonequilibrium dynamics of the electronic and phononic subsystems as well as their interactions is key for unlocking the microscopic mechanisms that ultimately govern thermal conductivity. A benchmark material that exhibits ultralow thermal conductivity is SnSe. We study the nonequilibrium phonon dynamics induced by an excited electron population using a framework combining ultrafast electron diffuse scattering and nonequilibrium kinetic theory. This in-depth approach provides a fundamental understanding of energy transfer in the spatiotemporal domain. Our analysis explains the dynamics leading to the observed low thermal conductivity, which we attribute to a mode-dependent tendency to nonconservative phonon scattering. The results offer a penetrating perspective on energy transport in condensed matter with far-reaching implications for rational design of advanced materials with tailored thermal properties.

The flexibility of 2D materials combined with properties highly sensitive to strain makes strain engineering a promising avenue for manipulation of both structure and function. Here we investigate the influence of strain, associated with microstructural defects, on a photo-induced structural phase transition in Td-WTe2. Above threshold photoexcitation of uniform, non-strained, samples result in an orthorhombic Td to a metastable orthorhombic 1T* phase transition facilitated by shear displacements of the WTe2 layers along the b axis of the material. In samples prepared with wrinkle defects WTe2 continue its trajectory through a secondary transition that shears the unit cell along the c axis towards a metastable monoclinic 1T ' phase. The time scales and microstructural evolution associated with the transition and its subsequent recovery to the 1T* phase is followed in detail by a combination of ultrafast electron diffraction and microscopy. Our findings show how local strain fields can be employed for tailoring phase change dynamics in ultrafast optically driven processes with potential applications in phase change devices.

Moiré superlattices in van der Waals materials provide a powerful platform for engineering emergent quantum phenomena, yet their dynamical response to ultrafast lattice perturbations remains largely unexplored. Here we directly visualize the ultrafast dynamics of a distorted Moiré superlattice in 1T′-TaTe_₂ using ultrafast transmission electron microscopy with nanometer–picosecond resolution. Static imaging reveals acomplex moiré pattern arising from a small interlayer twist angle combined with uniaxial heterostrain. Upon femtosecond laser excitation, we observe coherent oscillations of the moiré contrast at ~16 GHz, corresponding to cavity phonon modes in thickness direction. Space–time analysis demonstrates that the moiré fringes oscillate in-phase without measurable changes in periodicity, indicating transient global lattice distortion rather than interlayer rotation or sliding. The oscillations emerge after a delay of ~200 ps and are spatially correlated with bent regions of the sample, where in-plane strain is enhanced. These observations establish a direct link between coherent phonon excitation and dynamic modulation of Moiré superlattices, revealing Moiré patterns as sensitive probes of transient strain fields.