Laser Cooling of a Lattice Vibration in van der Waals Semiconductor

Laser cooling atoms and molecules to ultralow temperatures has produced plenty of opportunities in fundamental physics, precision metrology, and quantum science. Although theoretically proposed over 40 years, the laser cooling of certain lattice vibrations (i.e., phonon) remains a challenge owing to the complexity of solid structures. Here, we demonstrate Raman cooling of a longitudinal optical phonon in two-dimensional semiconductor WS₂ by red-detuning excitation at the sideband of the exciton (bound electron-hole pair). Strong coupling between the phonon and exciton and appreciable optomechanical coupling rates provide access to cooling high-frequency phonons that are robust against thermal decoherence even at room temperature. Our experiment opens possibilities of laser cooling and control of individual optical phonon and, eventually, possible cooling of matter in van der Waals semiconductor.