Transient photoinduced ‘hidden’ phase in a manganite
Source abstract
Abstract
Photoinduced phase transitions are of special interest in condensed matter physics because they can be used to change complex macroscopic material properties on the ultrafast timescale. Cooperative interactions between microscopic degrees of freedom greatly enhance the number and nature of accessible states, making it possible to switch electronic, magnetic or structural properties in new ways. Photons with high energies, of the order of electron volts, in particular are able to access electronic states that may differ greatly from states produced with stimuli close to equilibrium. In this study we report the photoinduced change in the lattice structure of a charge and orbitally ordered Nd(0.5)Sr(0.5)MnO(3) thin film using picosecond time-resolved X-ray diffraction. The photoinduced state is structurally ordered, homogeneous, metastable and has crystallographic parameters different from any thermodynamically accessible state. A femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopic study shows the formation of an electronic gap in this state. In addition, the threshold-like behaviour and high efficiency in photo-generation yield of this gapped state highlight the important role of cooperative interactions in the formation process. These combined observations point towards a 'hidden insulating phase' distinct from that found in the hitherto known phase diagram.
Source: europepmc · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials · Phase-change materials and chalcogenides · Transition Metal Oxide Nanomaterials
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (30)
Show source-provided references
1. Tokura, Y. Photoinduced phase transition: A tool for generating a hidden state of matter. J. Phys. Soc. Jpn 75, 011001 (2006).10.1143/JPSJ.75.011001 ↗
2. Nasu, K. Photoinduced Phase Transitions (World Scientific, 2004).10.1142/5476 ↗
3. Vahaplar, K. et al. Ultrafast path for optical magnetization reversal via a strongly nonequilibrium state. Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 117201 (2009).10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.117201 ↗
4. Lorenc, M. et al. Successive dynamical steps of photoinduced switching of a molecular Fe(III) spin-crossover material by time-resolved X-ray diffraction. Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 028301 (2009).10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.028301 ↗
5. Rini, M. et al. Control of the electronic phase of a manganite by mode-selective vibrational excitation. Nature 449, 72–74 (2007).10.1038/nature06119 ↗
6. Collet, E. et al. Laser-induced ferroelectric structural order in an organic charge-transfer crystal. Science 300, 612–615 (2003).10.1126/science.1082001 ↗
7. Cavalleri, A., Rini, M & Schoenlein, R. W. Ultra-broadband femtosecond measurements of the photo-induced phase transition in VO2: From the mid-IR to the hard X-rays. J. Phys. Soc. Jpn 75, 011004 (2006).10.1143/JPSJ.75.011004 ↗
8. Kolobov, A. V. et al. Understanding the phase-change mechanism of rewritable optical media. Nature Mater. 3, 703–708 (2004).10.1038/nmat1215 ↗
9. Koshihara, S. & Adachi, S. Photo-induced phase transition in an electron–lattice correlated system—future role of a time-resolved X-ray measurement for materials science. J. Phys. Soc. Jpn 75, 011005 (2006).10.1143/JPSJ.75.011005 ↗
10. Huai, P. & Nasu, K. Difference between photoinduced phase and thermally excited phase. J. Phys. Soc. Jpn 71, 1182–1188 (2002).10.1143/JPSJ.71.1182 ↗
11. Kajimoto, R. et al. Hole-concentration-induced transformation of the magnetic and orbital structures in Nd1−xSrxMnO3 . Phys. Rev. B 60, 9506–9517 (1999).10.1103/PhysRevB.60.9506 ↗
12. Okuyama, D. et al. Lattice-form-dependent orbital shape and charge disproportionation in charge- and orbital-ordered manganites. Phys. Rev. B 80, 064402 (2009).10.1103/PhysRevB.80.064402 ↗
13. Tobe, K., Kimura, T. & Tokura, Y. Anisotropic optical spectra of doped manganites with pseudocubic perovskite structure. Phys. Rev. B 69, 014407 (2004).10.1103/PhysRevB.69.014407 ↗
14. Ogimoto, Y. et al. Strain-induced crossover of the metal–insulator transition in perovskite manganites. Phys. Rev. B 71, 060403(R) (2005).10.1103/PhysRevB.71.060403 ↗
15. Nakamura, M., Ogimoto, Y., Tamaru, H., Izumi, M. & Miyano, K. Phase control through anisotropic strain in Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3 thin films. Appl. Phys. Lett. 86, 182504 (2005).10.1063/1.1923754 ↗
16. Miyasaka, K., Nakamura, M., Ogimoto, Y., Tamaru, H. & Miyano, K. Ultrafast photoinduced magnetic moment in a charge–orbital-ordered antiferromagnetic Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3 thin film. Phys. Rev. B 74, 012401 (2006).10.1103/PhysRevB.74.012401 ↗
17. Wakabayashi, Y. et al. Size of orbital-ordering domain controlled by the itinerancy of the 3d electrons in a manganite thin film. Phys. Rev. B 79, 220403(R) (2009).10.1103/PhysRevB.79.220403 ↗
18. Wakabayashi, Y. et al. Orbital ordering structures in (Nd,Pr)0.5Sr0.5MnO3 manganite thin films on perovskite (011) substrates. J. Phys. Soc. Jpn 77, 014712 (2008).10.1143/JPSJ.77.014712 ↗
19. Anisimov, V. I., Elfimov, I. S., Korotin, M. A. & Terakura, K. Orbital and charge ordering in Pr1−xCaxMnO3 (x=0 and 0.5) from the ab initio calculations. Phys. Rev. B 55, 15494–15499 (1997).10.1103/PhysRevB.55.15494 ↗
20. Maezono, R., Ishihara, S. & Nagaosa, N. Phase diagram of manganese oxides. Phys. Rev. B 58, 11583–11596 (1998).10.1103/PhysRevB.58.11583 ↗
21. Yunoki, S., Hotta, T. & Dagotto, E. Ferromagnetic, A-type, and charge-ordered CE-type states in doped manganites using Jahn–Teller phonons. Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 3714–3717 (2000).10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.3714 ↗
22. Ebata, K., Mizokawa, T. & Fujimori, A. Orbital ordering in La0.5Sr1.5MnO4 studied by model Hartree–Fock calculation. Phys. Rev. B 72, 233104 (2005).10.1103/PhysRevB.72.233104 ↗
23. Miyano, K., Tanaka, T., Tomioka, Y. & Tokura, Y. Photoinduced insulator-to-metal transition in a perovskite manganite. Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 4257–4260 (1997).10.1103/PhysRevLett.78.4257 ↗
24. Dagotto, E. Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences 136 (Springer, 2003).
25. Matsubara, M. et al. Key for photoinduced insulator–metal transitions in manganites; lattice constant matching between charge/orbital ordered insulator and ferromagnetic metal. J. Phys. Soc. Jpn 78, 023707 (2009).10.1143/JPSJ.78.023707 ↗
26. Tamaru, H., Ishida, K, Ogawa, N., Kubo, Y. & Miyano, K. Pump-and-probe study in LaMnO3 thin films. Phys. Rev. B 78, 075119 (2008).10.1103/PhysRevB.78.075119 ↗
27. Polli, D. et al. Coherent orbital waves in the photo-induced insulator–metal dynamics of a magnetoresistive manganite. Nature Mater. 6, 643–647 (2007).10.1038/nmat1979 ↗
28. Satoh, K. & Ishihara, S. Photo-induced phase transition in charge ordered perovskite manganites. J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 310, 798–800 (2007).10.1016/j.jmmm.2006.10.199 ↗
29. Kanamori, Y., Matsueda, H. & Ishihara, S. Dynamical coupling and separation of multiple degrees of freedom in a photoexcited double-exchange system. Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 267401 (2009).10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.267401 ↗
30. Beaud, P. et al. Ultrafast structural phase transition driven by photoinduced melting of charge and orbital order. Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 155702 (2009).10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.155702 ↗