Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions in Cuprates Observed by Ultrafast Electron Crystallography
- 20 April 2007
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 316 (5823), 425-429
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1138834
Abstract
Nonequilibrium phase transitions, which are defined by the formation of macroscopic transient domains, are optically dark and cannot be observed through conventional temperature- or pressure-change studies. We have directly determined the structural dynamics of such a nonequilibrium phase transition in a cuprate superconductor. Ultrafast electron crystallography with the use of a tilted optical geometry technique afforded the necessary atomic-scale spatial and temporal resolutions. The observed transient behavior displays a notable “structural isosbestic” point and a threshold effect for the dependence of c -axis expansion (Δ c ) on fluence ( F ), with Δ c / F = 0.02 angstrom/(millijoule per square centimeter). This threshold for photon doping occurs at ∼0.12 photons per copper site, which is unexpectedly close to the density (per site) of chemically doped carriers needed to induce superconductivity.Keywords
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