Photo-induced charge, spin, and orbital order in the two-orbital extended Hubbard model

Nonequilibrium control of electronically ordered hidden phases may lead to the development of ultrafast switches and memory devices. In this study, we demonstrate tunable hidden orders in the photo-doped two-orbital extended Hubbard model. Using steady-state nonequilibrium dynamical mean field theory, we clarify the coexistence and interplay of nonthermal charge, spin, and orbital order. The hidden state at low effective temperature and sufficiently high photo-doping is reminiscent of Kugel-Khomskii order in the two-orbital Hubbard model at 1/4 and 3/4 filling, but it emerges out of a nonequilibrium charge ordered state and exhibits a different magnetic structure. A low-energy effective Hamiltonian is used to analyze the exchange processes which stabilize the nonthermal order.