Direct Characterization of Photoinduced Lattice Dynamics in BaFe2As2

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2015 Jun 9

PMID 26051704

Citations 5

Authors

S Gerber

K W Kim

Y Zhang

D Zhu

N Plonka

M Yi

G L Dakovski

D Leuenberger

P S Kirchmann

R G Moore

M Chollet

J M Glownia

Y Feng

J-S Lee

A Mehta

A F Kemper

T Wolf

Y-D Chuang

Z Hussain

C-C Kao

B Moritz

Z-X Shen

T P Devereaux

W-S Lee

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Ultrafast light pulses can modify electronic properties of quantum materials by perturbing the underlying, intertwined degrees of freedom. In particular, iron-based superconductors exhibit a strong coupling among electronic nematic fluctuations, spins and the lattice, serving as a playground for ultrafast manipulation. Here we use time-resolved X-ray scattering to measure the lattice dynamics of photoexcited BaFe2As2. On optical excitation, no signature of an ultrafast change of the crystal symmetry is observed, but the lattice oscillates rapidly in time due to the coherent excitation of an A1g mode that modulates the Fe-As-Fe bond angle. We directly quantify the coherent lattice dynamics and show that even a small photoinduced lattice distortion can induce notable changes in the electronic and magnetic properties. Our analysis implies that transient structural modification can be an effective tool for manipulating the electronic properties of multi-orbital systems, where electronic instabilities are sensitive to the orbital character of bands.

Citing Articles

A comparative review of time-resolved x-ray and electron scattering to probe structural dynamics.

Lee Y, Oang K, Kim D, Ihee H Struct Dyn. 2024; 11(3):031301.

PMID: 38706888 PMC: 11065455. DOI: 10.1063/4.0000249.

Transient gap generation in BaFeAs driven by coherent lattice vibrations.

Warshauer J, Bustamante Lopez D, Dong Q, Chen G, Hu W PNAS Nexus. 2023; 2(6):pgad164.

PMID: 37266397 PMC: 10230283. DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad164.

Scientific instrument Femtosecond X-ray Experiments (FXE): instrumentation and baseline experimental capabilities.

Galler A, Gawelda W, Biednov M, Bomer C, Britz A, Brockhauser S J Synchrotron Radiat. 2019; 26(Pt 5):1432-1447.

PMID: 31490131 PMC: 6730617. DOI: 10.1107/S1600577519006647.

Photo-induced semimetallic states realised in electron-hole coupled insulators.

Okazaki K, Ogawa Y, Suzuki T, Yamamoto T, Someya T, Michimae S Nat Commun. 2018; 9(1):4322.

PMID: 30333495 PMC: 6192982. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06801-1.

Ultrafast structural dynamics of the orthorhombic distortion in the Fe-pnictide parent compound BaFe2As2.

Rettig L, Mariager S, Ferrer A, Grubel S, Johnson J, Rittmann J Struct Dyn. 2016; 3(2):023611.

PMID: 27158636 PMC: 4841800. DOI: 10.1063/1.4947250.

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