Simultaneous observation of carrier-specific redistribution and coherent lattice dynamics in 2H-MoTe<inf>2</inf> with femtosecond core-level spectroscopy

We employ few-femtosecond extreme ultraviolet (XUV) transient absorption spectroscopy to reveal simultaneously the intra- and interband carrier relaxation and the light-induced structural dynamics in nanoscale thin films of layered 2H-MoTe2 semiconductor. By interrogating the valence electronic structure via localized Te 4d (39-46 eV) and Mo 4p (35-38 eV) core levels, the relaxation of the photoexcited hole distribution is directly observed in real time. We obtain hole thermalization and cooling times of 15 ± 5 fs and 380 ± 90 fs, respectively, and an electron-hole recombination time of 1.5 ± 0.1 ps. Furthermore, excitations of coherent out-of-plane A1g (5.1 THz) and in-plane E1g (3.7 THz) lattice vibrations are visualized through oscillations in the XUV absorption spectra. By comparison to Bethe-Salpeter equation simulations, the spectral changes are mapped to real-space excited-state displacements of the lattice along the dominant A1g coordinate. By directly and simultaneously probing the excited carrier distribution dynamics and accompanying femtosecond lattice displacement in 2H-MoTe2 within a single experiment, our work provides a benchmark for understanding the interplay between electronic and structural dynamics in photoexcited nanomaterials.