Related papers: Exploring x-ray irradiation conditions for trigger…
Materials adopting the diamond structure possess useful properties in atomic and colloidal systems, and are a popular target for synthesis in colloids where a photonic band gap is possible. The desirable photonic properties of the diamond…
We propose an analytical model to describe the mechanical deformation of single-crystal diamond following the local sub-superficial graphitization obtained by laser beams or MeV ion microbeam implantation. In this case, a local mass-density…
We use ultrafast electron crystallography to study structural changes induced in graphite by a femtosecond laser pulse. At moderate fluences of ~< 21mJ/cm^2, lattice vibrations are observed to thermalize on a time scale of ~8ps. At higher…
he manifestation of intra-molecular strains in covalent systems is widely known to accelerate chemical reactions and open alternative reaction paths. This process is moderately understood for isolated molecules and uni-molecular processes.…
We review the results of our research on damage mechanisms in materials irradiated with femtosecond free-electron-laser (FEL) pulses. They were obtained using our hybrid approach, XTANT (X-ray-induced Thermal And Nonthermal Transitions).…
Optical pulses are routinely used to drive dynamical changes in the properties of solids. In quantum materials, many new phenomena have been discovered, including ultrafast transitions between electronic phases, switching of ferroic orders…
Saturable absorption is a nonlinear effect where a material's ability to absorb light is frustrated due to a high influx of photons and the creation of electron vacancies. Experimentally induced saturable absorption in copper revealed a…
We explore the structural evolution of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) under detonation-induced shock conditions using in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction in the ns time scale. We observe the formation of hexagonal diamond…
A simple model for the "diamond graphitization" type of phase transition is proposed, leading to a good agreement with the experimental data. The phase transition temperature dependence on the external pressure is found. A new phenomenon in…
We consider tunnel ionization of atomic argon in a femtosecond laser pulse of intensity $10^{21}-10^{22}{\rm W/cm}^2$ aiming to investigate the relativistic dynamics and radiation of photoelectrons released from their parent ions inside the…
Diffraction-before-destruction imaging with single ultrashort X-ray pulses has the potential to visualise non-equilibrium processes, such as chemical reactions, at the nanoscale with sub-femtosecond resolution in the native environment…
With the rapid development of short-pulse intense laser sources, studies of matter under extreme irradiation conditions enter further unexplored regimes. In addition, an application of X-ray Free- Electron Lasers (XFELs), delivering intense…
An intense femtosecond-laser excitation of a solid induces highly nonthermal conditions. In materials like silicon, laser-induced bond-softening leads to a highly incoherent ionic motion and eventually nonthermal melting. But is this…
Optically-induced phase transitions of the manganite $\rm Pr_{1/3}Ca_{2/3}MnO_3$ have been simulated using a model Hamiltonian, that captures the dynamics of strongly correlated charge, orbital, lattice, and spin degrees of freedom. Its…
Thanks to the remarkable developments of ultrafast science, one of today's challenges is to modify material state by controlling with a light pulse the coherent motions that connect two different phases. Here we show how strain waves,…
Boron-doped diamond crystals (BDD, C$_{1-x}$B$_{x}$) exhibit exceptional mechanical strength, electronic tunability, and resistance to radiation damage. This makes them promising materials for use in gamma-ray crystal-based light sources.…
The crystallisation of carbon from the melt under extreme conditions is highly relevant to earth and planetary science, materials manufacturing, and nuclear fusion research. The thermodynamic conditions near the graphite-diamond-liquid…
Ultraintense pulses from X-ray free-electron lasers can drive, within femtoseconds, multiple processes in the inner shells of atoms and molecules in all phases of matter. The ensuing complex ionization pathways of outer-shell electrons from…
In the laboratory study of extreme conditions of temperature and density, the exposure of matter to high intensity radiation sources has been of central importance. Here we interrogate the performance of multi-layered targets in experiments…
Modern intense ultrafast pulsed lasers generate an electric field of sufficient strength to permit tunnel ionization of the valence electrons in atoms. This process is usually treated as a rapid succession of isolated events, in which the…