952 research outputs found
Four-dimensional ultrafast electron microscopy of phase transitions
Reported here is direct imaging (and diffraction) by using 4D ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM) with combined spatial and temporal resolutions. In the first phase of UEM, it was possible to obtain snapshot images by using timed, single-electron packets; each packet is free of space–charge effects. Here, we demonstrate the ability to obtain sequences of snapshots ("movies") with atomic-scale spatial resolution and ultrashort temporal resolution. Specifically, it is shown that ultrafast metal–insulator phase transitions can be studied with these achieved spatial and temporal resolutions. The diffraction (atomic scale) and images (nanometer scale) we obtained manifest the structural phase transition with its characteristic hysteresis, and the time scale involved (100 fs) is now studied by directly monitoring coordinates of the atoms themselves
A river model of space
Within the theory of general relativity gravitational phenomena are usually
attributed to the curvature of four-dimensional spacetime. In this context we
are often confronted with the question of how the concept of ordinary physical
three-dimensional space fits into this picture. In this work we present a
simple and intuitive model of space for both the Schwarzschild spacetime and
the de Sitter spacetime in which physical space is defined as a specified set
of freely moving reference particles. Using a combination of orthonormal basis
fields and the usual formalism in a coordinate basis we calculate the physical
velocity field of these reference particles. Thus we obtain a vivid description
of space in which space behaves like a river flowing radially toward the
singularity in the Schwarzschild spacetime and radially toward infinity in the
de Sitter spacetime. We also consider the effect of the river of space upon
light rays and material particles and show that the river model of space
provides an intuitive explanation for the behavior of light and particles at
and beyond the event horizons associated with these spacetimes.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure
Driving magnetic order in a manganite by ultrafast lattice excitation
Optical control of magnetism, of interest for high-speed data processing and
storage, has only been demonstrated with near-infrared excitation to date.
However, in absorbing materials, such high photon energies can lead to
significant dissipation, making switch back times long and miniaturization
challenging. In manganites, magnetism is directly coupled to the lattice, as
evidenced by the response to external and chemical pressure, or to
ferroelectric polarization. Here, femtosecond mid-infrared pulses are used to
excite the lattice in La0.5Sr1.5MnO4 and the dynamics of electronic order are
measured by femtosecond resonant soft x-ray scattering with an x-ray free
electron laser. We observe that magnetic and orbital orders are reduced by
excitation of the lattice. This process, which occurs within few picoseconds,
is interpreted as relaxation of the complex charge-orbital-spin structure
following a displacive exchange quench - a prompt shift in the equilibrium
value of the magnetic and orbital order parameters after the lattice has been
distorted. A microscopic picture of the underlying unidirectional lattice
displacement is proposed, based on nonlinear rectification of the
directly-excited vibrational field, as analyzed in the specific lattice
symmetry of La0.5Sr1.5MnO4. Control of magnetism through ultrafast lattice
excitation has important analogies to the multiferroic effect and may serve as
a new paradigm for high-speed optomagnetism.Comment: 10 pages manuscript, 4 figure
Optical Stabilization of Fluctuating High Temperature Ferromagnetism in YTiO
In quantum materials, degeneracies and frustrated interactions can have a
profound impact on the emergence of long-range order, often driving strong
fluctuations that suppress functionally relevant electronic or magnetic phases.
Engineering the atomic structure in the bulk or at heterointerfaces has been an
important research strategy to lift these degeneracies, but these equilibrium
methods are limited by thermodynamic, elastic, and chemical constraints. Here,
we show that all-optical, mode-selective manipulation of the crystal lattice
can be used to enhance and stabilize high-temperature ferromagnetism in
YTiO, a material that exhibits only partial orbital polarization, an
unsaturated low-temperature magnetic moment, and a suppressed Curie
temperature, = 27 K. The enhancement is largest when exciting a 9 THz
oxygen rotation mode, for which complete magnetic saturation is achieved at low
temperatures and transient ferromagnetism is realized up to 80 K,
nearly three times the thermodynamic transition temperature. First-principles
and model calculations of the nonlinear phonon-orbital-spin coupling reveal
that these effects originate from dynamical changes to the orbital polarization
and the makeup of the lowest quasi-degenerate Ti levels. Notably,
light-induced high temperature ferromagnetism in YTiO is found to be
metastable over many nanoseconds, underscoring the ability to dynamically
engineer practically useful non-equilibrium functionalities.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Strain engineering and one-dimensional organization of metal-insulator domains in single-crystal VO2 beams
Spatial phase inhomogeneity at the nano- to microscale is widely observed in
strongly-correlated electron materials. The underlying mechanism and
possibility of artificially controlling the phase inhomogeneity are still open
questions of critical importance for both the phase transition physics and
device applications. Lattice strain has been shown to cause the coexistence of
metallic and insulating phases in the Mott insulator VO2. By continuously
tuning strain over a wide range in single-crystal VO2 micro- and nanobeams,
here we demonstrate the nucleation and manipulation of one-dimensionally
ordered metal-insulator domain arrays along the beams. Mott transition is
achieved in these beams at room temperature by active control of strain. The
ability to engineer phase inhomogeneity with strain lends insight into
correlated electron materials in general, and opens opportunities for designing
and controlling the phase inhomogeneity of correlated electron materials for
micro- and nanoscale device applications.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, with supplementary informatio
Alien Registration- Breton, Honore (Lewiston, Androscoggin County)
https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/30621/thumbnail.jp
Restoring interlayer Josephson coupling in La1.885Ba0.115CuO4 by charge transfer melting of stripe order
We show that disruption of charge-density-wave (stripe) order by charge transfer excitation, enhances the superconducting phase rigidity in La1.885Ba0.115CuO4. Time-resolved resonant soft x-ray diffraction demonstrates that charge order melting is prompt following near-infrared photoexcitation whereas the crystal structure remains intact for moderate fluences. THz time-domain spectroscopy reveals that, for the first 2 ps following photoexcitation, a new Josephson plasma resonance edge, at higher frequency with respect to the equilibrium edge, is induced indicating enhanced superconducting interlayer coupling. The fluence dependence of the charge-order melting and the enhanced superconducting interlayer coupling are correlated with a saturation limit of ∼0.5mJ/cm2. Using a combination of x-ray and optical spectroscopies we establish a hierarchy of timescales between enhanced superconductivity, melting of charge order, and rearrangement of the crystal structure
Beyond the required LISA free-fall performance: new LISA pathfinder results down to 20  μHz
In the months since the publication of the first results, the noise performance of LISA Pathfinder has improved because of reduced Brownian noise due to the continued decrease in pressure around the test masses, from a better correction of noninertial effects, and from a better calibration of the electrostatic force actuation. In addition, the availability of numerous long noise measurement runs, during which no perturbation is purposely applied to the test masses, has allowed the measurement of noise with good statistics down to 20  μHz. The Letter presents the measured differential acceleration noise figure, which is at (1.74±0.05)  fm s^{-2}/sqrt[Hz] above 2 mHz and (6±1)×10  fm s^{-2}/sqrt[Hz] at 20  μHz, and discusses the physical sources for the measured noise. This performance provides an experimental benchmark demonstrating the ability to realize the low-frequency science potential of the LISA mission, recently selected by the European Space Agency
State space modelling and data analysis exercises in LISA Pathfinder
LISA Pathfinder is a mission planned by the European Space Agency to test the
key technologies that will allow the detection of gravitational waves in space.
The instrument on-board, the LISA Technology package, will undergo an
exhaustive campaign of calibrations and noise characterisation campaigns in
order to fully describe the noise model. Data analysis plays an important role
in the mission and for that reason the data analysis team has been developing a
toolbox which contains all the functionalities required during operations. In
this contribution we give an overview of recent activities, focusing on the
improvements in the modelling of the instrument and in the data analysis
campaigns performed both with real and simulated data.Comment: Plenary talk presented at the 9th International LISA Symposium, 21-25
May 2012, Pari
Evolution of three-dimensional correlations during the photoinduced melting of antiferromagnetic order in La
Using time-resolved resonant soft x-ray diffraction, we measure the evolution of the full three-dimensional scattering volume of the antiferromagnetic superlattice reflection in the single-layer manganite La<sub>0.5</sub>Sr<sub>1.5</sub>MnO<sub>4</sub> on femtosecond time scales following photoexcitation. We find that the in-plane correlations are unchanged as a metastable state is entered, however there are subtle changes in the c-axis correlations. We observe a transient shift of the scattering ellipsoid along (00L) at very short times, and at longer time scales the short-range c-axis correlations are more robust than they are in equilibrium. Such results are not obtainable with any other techniques and hint at previously unresolved processes in the dynamics of photomelting in strongly correlated systems
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