Low-frequency interlayer phonon dynamics and photoinduced terahertz absorption in black phosphorus

Abstract: The strong interlayer coupling in black phosphorus (BP), arising from wavefunction overlap between layers, is critical for understanding its electronic and optical properties. Here, we utilize terahertz (THz) spectroscopy to study phonon dynamics in BP. We identify two peaks at 6 and 8.5 meV in steady-state THz spectra, which are attributed to low-frequency interlayer phonon modes. Both modes exhibit anharmonic phonon coupling behavior below 150 K, manifesting as temperature-dependent red-shifts. Using time-resolved THz spectroscopy, we observe significantly increased THz absorption under photoexcitation, arising from the transient enhancements of the extended Drude component and the oscillator strengths of interlayer phonons in non-equilibrium. These findings highlight the critical role of interlayer phonon dynamics in understanding many-body physics in BP.