Related papers: Laser-induced ultrafast structural transformations…
We use ultrafast x-ray diffraction (UXRD) and the polar time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect (tr-MOKE) to study the laser-induced metamagnetic phase transition in two FeRh films with thicknesses below and above the optical penetration…
Ultrafast lattice deformation of tens to hundreds of nanometer thick metallic crystals, after femtosecond laser excitation, was measured directly using 8.04 keV subpicosecond x-ray and 59 keV femtosecond electron pulses. Coherent phonons…
Laser excitation has emerged as a means to expose hidden states of matter and promote phase transitions on demand. Such laser induced transformations are often rendered possible owing to the delivery of spatially and/or temporally…
Pulsed laser deposition, a non-equilibrium thin-film growth technique, was used to stabilize metastable tetragonal iron sulfide (FeS), the bulk state of which is known as a superconductor with a critical temperature of 4 K. Comprehensive…
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…
There is growing interest in strongly correlated insulator thin films because the intricate interplay of their intrinsic and extrinsic state variables causes memristive behavior that might be used for bio-mimetic devices in the emerging…
We report the discovery of a boundary-induced body-centered tetragonal (bct) iron phase in thin films deposited on MgAl$_{2}$O$_{4}$ ($001$) substrates. We present evidence for this phase using detailed x-ray analysis and ab-initio density…
Phase-change materials based on Ge-Sb-Te alloys are widely used in industrial applications such as nonvolatile memories, but reaction pathways for crystalline-to-amorphous phase-change on picosecond timescales remain unknown. Femtosecond…
We performed time-resolved x-ray resonant magnetic reflectivity measurements on a laser-excited ferromagnetic Fe thin film to simultaneously probe the transient structural and magnetic depth profiles with nanometer spatial and femtosecond…
The electric field-dependence of structural dynamics in a tetragonal ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate thin film is investigated under sub-coercive and above-coercive fields using time-resolved X-ray diffraction. During the application…
X-ray diffraction was demonstrated from shock-compressed polycrystalline metal on nanosecond time scales. Laser ablation was used to induce shock waves in polycrystalline foils of Be, 25 to 125 microns thick. A second laser pulse was used…
Extreme electron-ion non-equilibrium states, generated by ultrafast laser excitation, lead to melting processes that are fundamentally different from those under conventional thermal equilibrium and remain not fully understood. Through…
Novel phases of matter with unique properties that emerge from quantum and topological protection present an important thrust of modern research. Of particular interest is to engineer these phases on demand using ultrafast external stimuli,…
We theoretically investigate the generation of ultrafast currents in insulators induced by strong few-cycle laser pulses. Ab initio simulations based on time-dependent density functional theory give insight into the atomic-scale properties…
Laser melting of semiconductors has been observed for almost 40 years; surprisingly, it is not well understood where most theoretical simulations show a laser-induced thermal process. $\textit{Ab initio}$ nonadiabatic simulations based on…
Selective thin-film removal is needed in many microfabrication processes such as 3-D patterning of optoelectronic devices and localized repairing of integrated circuits. Various wet or dry etching methods are available, but laser machining…
The dynamics of thermal and non-thermal lattice deformation of nanometer thick polycrystalline aluminum film has been studied by means of femtosecond (fs) time-resolved electron diffraction. We utilized two different pump wavelengths: 800…
Materials with thermal-invariant elastic properties of materials are of interest for resonant device frequency and dimensional stability of precision devices. Here, we demonstrate that the temperature coefficient of elasticity (TCE) of…
We report an ultrafast, parallel and beyond-the-master micro-patterning technique for ultrathin (30 nm-400 nm) non-absorbing polymer films by diffraction of a laser light through a two dimensional periodic aperture. The redistribution of…
The ultrafast time-dependence of the energy absorption of covalent solids upon excitation with femtosecond laser pulses is theoretically analyzed. We use a microscopic theory to describe laser induced structural changes and their influence…