Phonon autoecho in bismuth and antimony single crystals

Phonon autoecho is observed upon pumping Bi and Sb semimetals with ultrashort high-energy laser pulses. The autoecho is manifested as a revival of reflection oscillations generated by an $A_{1g}$ coherent phonon after their complete disappearance. The phenomenon of phonon autoecho offers decisive evidence of the nonclassical character of the state of the crystal lattice that is accomplished in pumping-probing experiments by femtosecond laser pulses.