Mixed regime of light-matter interaction revealed by phase sensitive measurements of the dynamical Franz-Keldysh effect

The speed of ultra-fast optical switches is generally limited by the intrinsic electronic response time of the material. Here we show that the phase content of selected electromagnetic pulses can be used to measure the timescales characteristic for the different regimes of matter-light interactions. By means of combined single cycle THz pumps and broadband optical probes, we explore the field-induced opacity in GaAs (the Franz-Keldysh effect). Our phase-resolved measurements allow to identify a novel quasi-static regime of saturation where memory effects are of relevance

Non-linearity observed in the direct sub-ps photoemission regime in Mo

The total charge emitted from a polycrystalline Mo surface by 500 fs-264 nm laser pulses has been measured. Though a one-photon photoelectric effect is expected, a non-linear increase of the photoelectric yield was observed as a function of laser peak intensity, confirming earlier observations on Au, W and Zr. The threshold intensity for this non-linearity is 2 between 0.1 and 0.2 GW/ cm . The linear and non-linear regimes were clearly discerned in the experimental data. The non-equilibrium heating of the conduction electrons is considered as the cause of the observed non-linear behaviour. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Linear and nonlinear total-yield photoemission observed in the subpicosecond regime in Mo

The total charge emitted from a polycrystalline Mo sample by 500 fs laser pulses at normal incidence is measured as a function of the laser peak intensity. Total yield data are taken at wavelengths of 527 and 264 nm. In both cases, a nonlinearity higher than expected is measured. A thermally enhanced regime is clearly observed when using 264 nm pulses for laser peak intensity larger than 0.1--0.2 ${\mathrm{G}\mathrm{W}/\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{2}$. This effect is interpreted on the basis of the nonequilibrium heating of the conduction electrons. Pump and probe photoemission data at 527 nm show a significant enhancement of the photoelectric sensitivity when the probe pulse is delayed by 1 ps from the pump. This enhancement is related to the growth of the available electron density induced by the nonequilibrium heating. Single pulse photoemission at this wavelength is not properly explained by a thermally assisted photoemission regime. This may indicate that other processes have a role in determining the photoemission yield

Photon number statistics uncover the fluctuations in non-equilibrium lattice dynamics

Fluctuations of the atomic positions are at the core of a large class of unusual material properties ranging from quantum para-electricity to high temperature superconductivity. Their measurement in solids is the subject of an intense scientific debate focused on seeking a methodology capable of establishing a direct link between the variance of the atomic displacements and experimentally measurable observables. Here we address this issue by means of non-equilibrium optical experiments performed in shot-noise limited regime. The variance of the time dependent atomic positions and momenta is directly mapped into the quantum fluctuations of the photon number of the scattered probing light. A fully quantum description of the non-linear interaction between photonic and phononic fields is benchmarked by unveiling the squeezing of thermal phonons in $\alpha$-quartz.Comment: 7 pages (main text), 5 figures, 11 pages (supplementary information

Pulsed homodyne Gaussian quantum tomography with low detection efficiency

Pulsed homodyne quantum tomography usually requires a high detection efficiency limiting its applicability in quantum optics. Here, it is shown that the presence of low detection efficiency ($<50\%$) does not prevent the tomographic reconstruction of quantum states of light, specifically, of Gaussian type. This result is obtained by applying the so-called "minimax" adaptive reconstruction of the Wigner function to pulsed homodyne detection. In particular, we prove, by both numerical and real experiments, that an effective discrimination of different Gaussian quantum states can be achieved. Our finding paves the way to a more extensive use of quantum tomographic methods, even in physical situations in which high detection efficiency is unattainable

Interband characterization and electronic transport control of nanoscaled GeTe/Sb2_2Te3_3 superlattices

The extraordinary electronic and optical properties of the crystal-to-amorphous transition in phase-change materials led to important developments in memory applications. A promising outlook is offered by nanoscaling such phase-change structures. Following this research line, we study the interband optical transmission spectra of nanoscaled GeTe/Sb$_2$Te$_3$ chalcogenide superlattice films. We determine, for films with varying stacking sequence and growth methods, the density and scattering time of the free electrons, and the characteristics of the valence-to-conduction transition. It is found that the free electron density decreases with increasing GeTe content, for sub-layer thickness below $\sim$3 nm. A simple band model analysis suggests that GeTe and Sb$_2$Te$_3$ layers mix, forming a standard GeSbTe alloy buffer layer. We show that it is possible to control the electronic transport properties of the films by properly choosing the deposition layer thickness and we derive a model for arbitrary film stacks

Strong enhancement of d-wave superconducting state in the three-band Hubbard model coupled to an apical oxygen phonon

We study the hole binding energy and pairing correlations in the three-band Hubbard model coupled to an apical oxygen phonon, by exact diagonalization and constrained-path Monte Carlo simulations. In the physically relevant charge-transfer regime, we find that the hole binding energy is strongly enhanced by the electron-phonon interaction, which is due to a novel potential-energy-driven pairing mechanism involving reduction of both electronic potential energy and phonon related energy. The enhancement of hole binding energy, in combination with a phonon-induced increase of quasiparticle weight, leads to a dramatic enhancement of the long-range part of d-wave pairing correlations. Our results indicate that the apical oxygen phonon plays a significant role in the superconductivity of high-$T_c$ cuprates.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Hubbard exciton revealed by time-domain optical spectroscopy

We use broadband ultra-fast pump-probe spectroscopy in the visible range to study the lowest excitations across the Mott-Hubbard gap in the orbitally ordered insulator YVO3. Separating thermal and non-thermal contributions to the optical transients, we show that the total spectral weight of the two lowest peaks is conserved, demonstrating that both excitations correspond to the same multiplet. The pump-induced transfer of spectral weight between the two peaks reveals that the low-energy one is a Hubbard exciton, i.e. a resonance or bound state between a doublon and a holon. Finally, we speculate that the pump-driven spin-disorder can be used to quantify the kinetic energy gain of the excitons in the ferromagnetic phase.Comment: 5 pages and 6 figures, 9 pages and 12 figures with additional material

Symmetry of the Fermi surface and evolution of the electronic structure across the paramagnetic-helimagnetic transition in MnSi/Si(111)

MnSi has been extensively studied for five decades, nonetheless detailed information on the Fermi surface (FS) symmetry is still lacking. This missed information prevented from a comprehensive understanding the nature of the magnetic interaction in this material. Here, by performing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on high-quality MnSi films epitaxially grown on Si(111), we unveil the FS symmetry and the evolution of the electronic structure across the paramagnetic-helimagnetic transition at T$_C$ $\sim$ 40 K, along with the appearance of sharp quasiparticle emission below T$_C$. The shape of the resulting FS is found to fulfill robust nesting effects. These effects can be at the origin of strong magnetic fluctuations not accounted for by state-of-art quasiparticle self-consistent GW approximation. From this perspective, the unforeseen quasiparticle damping detected in the paramagnetic phase and relaxing only below T$_C$, along with the persistence of the d-bands splitting well above T$_C$, at odds with a simple Stoner model for itinerant magnetism, open the search for exotic magnetic interactions favored by FS nesting and affecting the quasiparticles lifetime