Momentum-Resolved Ultrafast Electron Dynamics in Superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta

The non-equilibrium state of the high-Tc superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta and its ultrafast dynamics have been investigated by femtosecond time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy well below the critical temperature. We probe optically excited quasiparticles at different electron momenta along the Fermi surface and detect metastable quasiparticles near the antinode. Their decay through e-e scattering is blocked by a phase space restricted to the nodal region. The lack of momentum dependence in the decay rates is in agreement with relaxation dominated by Cooper pair recombination in a boson bottleneck limit

Ultrafast dynamics of occupied quantum well states in Pb/Si(111)

We investigate the ultrafast electron dynamics of occupied quantum well states (QWSs) in Pb/Si(111) with time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We find an ultrafast increase in binding energy of the QWSs driven by the optical excitation, while the electronic system is in a non-equilibrium state. We explain this transient energetic stabilization in the photoexcited state by an ultrafast modification of the Fermi level pinning, triggered by charge transfer across the Pb/Si interface. In addition, we observe the excitation of a coherent surface phonon mode at a frequency of ~2 THz, which modulates the QWS binding energy

Ultrafast electron dynamics at water covered alkali adatoms adsorbed on Cu(111)

Here we report on the ultrafast electron dynamics of the alkalis Na, K, and Cs coadsorbed with D2O on Cu(111) surfaces, which we investigated with femtosecond time-resolved two-photon photoemission. The well known transient electronic binding energy stabilization in bare adsorbed alkalis is enhanced by the presence of water which acts as a solvent and increases the transient energy gain. We observe for all adsorbed alkalis a transient binding energy stabilization of 100–300 meV. The stabilization rates range from 1 to 2 eV ps-1. Here the heavier alkali exhibits a slower stabilization which we explain by their weaker static alkali–water interaction observed in thermal desorption spectroscopy. The population dynamics at low water coverage is described by a single exponential. With increasing water coverage the behavior becomes non-exponential suggesting an additional excited state due to electron solvatio

Electron-phonon coupling in 122 Fe pnictides analyzed by femtosecond time-resolved photoemission

Based on results from femtosecond time-resolved photoemission, we compare three different methods for determination of the electron-phonon coupling constant {\lambda} in Eu and Ba-based 122 FeAs compounds. We find good agreement between all three methods, which reveal a small {\lambda} < 0.2. This makes simple electron-phonon mediated superconductivity unlikely in these compounds.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Competing spin transfer and dissipation at Co/Cu(001) interfaces on femtosecond timescales

By combining interface-sensitive non-linear magneto-optical experiments with femtosecond time resolution and ab-initio time-dependent density functional theory, we show that optically excited spin dynamics at Co/Cu(001) interfaces proceeds via spin-dependent charge transfer and backtransfer between Co and Cu. This ultrafast spin transfer competes with dissipation of spin angular momentum mediated by spin-orbit coupling already on sub 100 fs timescales. We thereby identify the fundamental microscopic processes during laser-induced spin transfer at a model interface for technologically relevant ferromagnetic heterostructures.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Determination of the electron's solvation site on D₂O/Cu(111) using Xe overlayers and femtosecond photoelectron spectroscopy

We investigate the binding site of solvated electrons in amorphous D2O clusters and D2O wetting layers adsorbed on Cu(111) by means of two-photon photoelectron (2PPE) spectroscopy. On the basis of different interactions of bulk- or surface-bound solvated electrons with rare gas atoms, titration experiments using Xe overlayers reveal the location of the electron solvation sites. In the case of flat clusters with a height of 2-4 bilayers adsorbed on Cu(111), solvated electrons are found to reside at the ice - vacuum interface, whereas a bulk character is determined for solvated electrons in wetting layers. Furthermore, time-resolved experiments are performed to determine the origin of the transition between these different solvation sites with increasing D2O coverage. We employ an empirical model calculation to analyse the rate of electron transfer back to the substrate and the energetic stabilization of the solvated electrons, which allows further insight into the binding site for clusters. We find that the solvated electrons reside at the edges of the clusters. Therefore, we attribute the transition from surface- to bulk-solvation to the coalescence of the clusters to a closed ice film occurring at a nominal coverage of 2-3 BL, while the distance of the binding sites to the metal-ice interface is maintained

Momentum dependent ultrafast electron dynamics in antiferromagnetic EuFe2As2

Employing the momentum-sensitivity of time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy we demonstrate the analysis of ultrafast single- and many-particle dynamics in antiferromagnetic EuFe2As2. Their separation is based on a temperature-dependent difference of photo-excited hole and electron relaxation times probing the single particle band and the spin density wave gap, respectively. Reformation of the magnetic order occurs at 800 fs, which is four times slower compared to electron-phonon equilibration due to a smaller spin-dependent relaxation phase space

Coupling of spin and vibrational degrees of freedom of adsorbates at metal surfaces probed by vibrational sum-frequency generation

Vibrational spectroscopy using sum-frequency generation has been used to investigate the coupling between a ferromagnetic thin film and adsorbed molecules, here CO on Ni/Cu(100). The CO stretching vibration exhibits a strong magnetic contrast with a pronounced temperature dependence, underlining the high sensitivity of this adsorbate-specific spectroscopy method. Our results indicate that the strong temperature dependence is caused by dynamical changes in the surface chemical bond when the CO stretch vibration is coupled to thermally excited external vibrational modes