Multiple supersonic phase fronts launched at a complex-oxide heterointerface

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.027401

Authors: M. Forst (Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter; Center for Free Electron Laser Science) , K. R. Beyerlein (Center for Free Electron Laser Science; Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY) , R. Mankowsky (Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter; Center for Free Electron Laser Science) , W. Hu (Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter; Center for Free Electron Laser Science) , G. Mattoni (Delft University of Technology) , S. Catalano (Université de Genève) , M. Gibert (Université de Genève) , O. Yefanov (Center for Free Electron Laser Science; Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY) , J. N. Clark (Center for Free Electron Laser Science; SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) , A. Frano (Advanced Light Source; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory;) , J. M. Glownia (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) , M. Chollet (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) , H. Lemke (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) , B. Moser (Diamond Light Source) , S. P. Collins (Diamond Light Source) , S. S. Dhesi (Diamond Light Source) , A. D. Caviglia (Delft University of Technology) , J.-M. Triscone (Université de Genève) , A. Cavalleri (Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter; Center for Free Electron Laser Science; University of Oxford)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Physical Review Letters , VOL 118

State: Published (Approved)
Published: January 2017
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 11118

Abstract: Selective optical excitation of a substrate lattice can drive phase changes across heterointerfaces. This phenomenon is a nonequilibrium analogue of static strain control in heterostructures and may lead to new applications in optically controlled phase change devices. Here, we make use of time-resolved nonresonant and resonant x-ray diffraction to clarify the underlying physics and to separate different microscopic degrees of freedom in space and time. We measure the dynamics of the lattice and that of the charge disproportionation in NdNiO3, when an insulator-metal transition is driven by coherent lattice distortions in the LaAlO3 substrate. We find that charge redistribution propagates at supersonic speeds from the interface into the NdNiO3 film, followed by a sonic lattice wave. When combined with measurements of magnetic disordering and of the metal-insulator transition, these results establish a hierarchy of events for ultrafast control at complex-oxide heterointerfaces.

Journal Keywords: Surface & interfacial phenomena; Ultrafast phenomena; Thin films; X-ray diffraction

Subject Areas: Materials, Physics


Instruments: I16-Materials and Magnetism

Other Facilities: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Added On: 16/01/2017 09:32

Discipline Tags:

Surfaces Physics Hard condensed matter - structures Magnetism Materials Science interfaces and thin films

Technical Tags:

Diffraction