Orbitally-driven insulator-metal transition in CuIr${}_2$S${}_4$: Temperature dependent transient reflectivity study

Abstract

Ultrafast transient reflectivity across the unusual three-dimensional Peierls-like insulator-metal (IM) transition in CuIr_{2}S_{4} was measured as a function of temperature. The low-temperature insulating-phase transient response is dominated by broken-symmetry-induced coherent lattice oscillations that abruptly vanish at the IM transition. The coherent mode spectra are consistent with Raman spectra reported in literature. The origin of the broken-symmetry-induced is also briefly discussed.