Dynamic pathway of the photoinduced phase transition of TbMnO3_3

We investigate the demagnetization dynamics of the cycloidal and sinusoidal phases of multiferroic TbMnO$_3$ by means of time-resolved resonant soft x-ray diffraction following excitation by an optical pump. Using orthogonal linear x-ray polarizations, we suceeded in disentangling the response of the multiferroic cycloidal spin order from the sinusoidal antiferromagnetic order in the time domain. This enables us to identify the transient magnetic phase created by intense photoexcitation of the electrons and subsequent heating of the spin system on a picosecond timescale. The transient phase is shown to be a spin density wave, as in the adiabatic case, which nevertheless retains the wave vector of the cycloidal long range order. Two different pump photon energies, 1.55 eV and 3.1 eV, lead to population of the conduction band predominantly via intersite $d$-$d$ transitions or intrasite $p$-$d$ transitions, respectively. We find that the nature of the optical excitation does not play an important role in determining the dynamics of magnetic order melting. Further, we observe that the orbital reconstruction, which is induced by the spin ordering, disappears on a timescale comparable to that of the cycloidal order, attesting to a direct coupling between magnetic and orbital orders. Our observations are discussed in the context of recent theoretical models of demagnetization dynamics in strongly correlated systems, revealing the potential of this type of measurement as a benchmark for such complex theoretical studies

Dynamics of the photoinduced insulator-to-metal transition in a nickelate film

The control of materials properties with light is a promising approach towards the realization of faster and smaller electronic devices. With phases that can be controlled via strain, pressure, chemical composition or dimensionality, nickelates are good candidates for the development of a new generation of high performance and low consumption devices. Here we analyze the photoinduced dynamics in a single crystalline NdNiO$_3$ film upon excitation across the electronic gap. Using time-resolved reflectivity and resonant x-ray diffraction, we show that the pump pulse induces an insulator-to-metal transition, accompanied by the melting of the charge order. Finally we compare our results to similar studies in manganites and show that the same model can be used to describe the dynamics in nickelates, hinting towards a unified description of these photoinduced phase transitions.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure

Orbital dynamics during an ultrafast insulator to metal transition

Phase transitions driven by ultrashort laser pulses have attracted interest both for understanding the fundamental physics of phase transitions and for potential new data storage or device applications. In many cases these transitions involve transient states that are different from those seen in equilibrium. To understand the microscopic properties of these states, it is useful to develop elementally selective probing techniques that operate in the time domain. Here we show fs-time-resolved measurements of V Ledge Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering (RIXS) from the insulating phase of the Mott- Hubbard material V2O3 after ultrafast laser excitation. The probed orbital excitations within the d-shell of the V ion show a sub-ps time response, which evolve at later times to a state that appears electronically indistinguishable from the high-temperature metallic state. Our results demonstrate the potential for RIXS spectroscopy to study the ultrafast orbital dynamics in strongly correlated materials.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Dynamics of the photoinduced insulator-to-metal transition in a nickelate film

Material properties can be controlled via strain, pressure, chemical composition, or dimensionality. Nickelates are particularly susceptible due to their strong variations of the electronic and magnetic properties on such external stimuli. Here, we analyze the photoinduced dynamics in a single crystalline NdNiO3 film upon excitation across the electronic gap. Using time-resolved reflectivity and resonant x-ray diffraction, we show that the pump pulse induces an insulator-to-metal transition, accompanied by the melting of the charge order. Finally, we compare our results with similar studies in manganites and show that the same model can be used to describe the dynamics in nickelates, hinting towards a unified description of these photoinduced electronic ordering phase transitions. © 2018 Author(s)

Antiferromagnetic spin canting and magnetoelectric multipoles in h-YMnO3

Hexagonal YMnO3 is a prototype antiferromagnet which exhibits multiferroic behavior with the ferroelectric and magnetic transitions occurring at different temperatures. We observe an out-of-plane canting of the Mn3+ magnetic moments using resonant x-ray diffraction (RXD) in a single crystal of this material. These canted moments result in the symmetry-forbidden (0,0,1) magnetic Bragg reflection, which is observed at the Mn L2,3 absorption edges. We also observe an unexpected difference in the RXD spectral shapes at different temperatures. Using ab initio calculations, we explore the possibility that this behavior arises due to the interference between scattering from the canted magnetic moments and parity-odd atomic multipoles on the Mn3+ ions.ISSN:2643-156

Ultrafast transient increase of oxygen octahedral rotations in a perovskite

ISSN:2643-156