Unconventional light-induced states visualized by ultrafast electron diffraction and microscopy

Abstract

Exciting electrons in solids with intense light pulses offers the possibility of generating new states of matter through nonthermal means and controlling their macroscopic properties on femto- to picosecond timescales. One way to manipulate a solid is by altering its lattice structure, which often underlies the electronic, magnetic and other phases. Here, we review how structures of solids are affected by photoexcitation and how their ultrafast dynamics are captured with time-resolved electron diffraction and microscopy. Specifically, we survey how a strong light pulse has been used to tailor the nonequilibrium characteristics to yield on-demand properties in various material classes. In the existing literature, four main routes have been exploited to control material structures: (i) phase competition, (ii) electronic correlations, (iii) excitation of coherent modes, and (iv) defect generation. In this review, we discuss experiments relevant to all four schemes and finish by speculating about future directions.

References in corpus (34)

• Theory of Phase Ordering Kinetics
• Ultrafast switching to a stable hidden topologically protected quantum state in an electronic crystal
• Nonthermal pathways to ultrafast control in quantum materials
• Monoclinic and Correlated Metal Phase in VO_2 as Evidence of the Mott Transition: Coherent Phonon Analysis
• A metallic mosaic phase and the origin of Mott insulating state in 1T-TaS2
• Light-Induced Charge Density Wave in LaTe${}_3$
• Theory of nonlinear phononics for coherent light-control of solids
• Coherent dynamics of macroscopic electronic order through a symmetry-breaking transition
• Nanoscale manipulation of the Mott insulating state coupled to charge order in 1T-TaS2
• Disentangling amplitude and phase dynamics of a charge density wave in a photo-induced phase transition
• Evidence for metastable photo-induced superconductivity in K${}_3$C${}_{60}$
• Phase-ordering of charge density waves traced by ultrafast low-energy electron diffraction
• Coherent and incoherent electron-phonon coupling in graphite observed with radio-frequency compressed ultrafast electron diffraction
• Ultrafast nano-imaging of the order parameter in a structural phase transition
• How optical excitation controls the structure and properties of vanadium dioxide
• Coherent control of a structural phase transition in a solid-state surface system
• Universal phase dynamics in VO2 switches revealed by ultrafast operando diffraction
• Achieving 50 femtosecond resolution in MeV ultrafast electron diffraction with a double bend achromat compressor
• Ultrafast manipulation of mirror domain walls in a charge density wave
• Single-particle and collective mode couplings associated with 1- and 2-directional electronic ordering in metallic RTe${}_3$ (R = Ho, Dy, Tb)
• Light induced sub-picosecond topological phase transition in MoTe2
• Optical manipulation of electronic dimensionality in a quantum material
• Watching the birth of a charge density wave order: diffraction study on nanometer-and picosecond-scales
• Ultrafast jamming of electrons into an amorphous entangled state
• Ultrafast dynamics of charge density waves in 4Hb-TaSe2 probed by femtosecond electron diffraction
• Nanoscale diffractive probing of strain dynamics in ultrafast transmission electron microscopy
• Nonequilibrium Charge-Density-Wave Order Beyond the Thermal Limit
• Ultrafast transmission electron microscopy on dynamic process of a CDW transition in 1T-TaSe2
• Coherent order parameter dynamics in SmTe${}_3$
• Nanoscale imaging of unusual photo-acoustic waves in thin flake VTe${}_2$
• Formation of buried domain walls in the ultrafast transition of SmTe${}_3$
• Stacking order dynamic in the quasi-two-dimensional dichalcogenide 1T-TaS${}_2$ probed with MeV ultrafast electron diffraction
• Classification of Collective Modes in a Charge Density Wave by Momentum-Dependent Modulation of the Electronic Band Structure
• Single-Shot Electron Diffraction using a Cold Atom Electron Source

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Accurate quantification of lattice temperature dynamics from ultrafast electron diffraction of single-crystal films using dynamical scattering simulations
• Strong Coupling of Self-Trapped Excitons to Acoustic Phonons in Bismuth Perovskite ${\text{Cs}}_3{\text{Bi}}_2{\text{I}}_9$
• Direct Observation of Ultrafast Singlet Exciton Fission in Three Dimensions
• Dynamics of topological defects after a photo-induced melting of a charge-density wave