Optical creation of a supercrystal with nanoscale periodicity

 · Invited

Abstract


Stimulation with ultrafast light pulses can realize and manipulate states of matter with emergent structural, electronic and magnetic phenomena. However, these non-equilibrium phases are often transient and the challenge is to stabilize them as persistent states. Here, we show that atomic-scale PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices, counterpoising strain and polarization states in alternate layers, are converted by sub-picosecond optical pulses to a supercrystal phase. This phase persists indefinitely under ambient conditions, has not been created via equilibrium routes, and can be erased by heating. X-ray scattering and microscopy show this unusual phase consists of a coherent three-dimensional structure with polar, strain and charge-ordering periodicities of up to 30 nm. By adjusting only dielectric properties, the phase-field model describes this emergent phase as a photo-induced charge-stabilized supercrystal formed from a two-phase equilibrium state. Progress on understanding the formation mechanism for creation of the supercrystal will be presented. Our results demonstrate opportunities for light- activated pathways to thermally inaccessible and emergent metastable states.

*This work was supported primarily by the Department of Energy grant number DE-SC0012375

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Presenters

  • Venkatraman Gopalan

    • Pennsylvania State University
    • Material Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
    • Department of Material Science and Engineering, Penn State University
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
    • Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University

Authors

  • Venkatraman Gopalan

    • Pennsylvania State University
    • Material Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
    • Department of Material Science and Engineering, Penn State University
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
    • Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University

  • Vladimir A Stoica

    • Pennsylvania State University
    • Argonne National Laboratory
    • Department of Physics, University of Michigan

  • Nouamane Laanait

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  • cheng dai

    • Pennsylvania State University

  • zijian hong

    • Pennsylvania State University
    • The Pennsylvania State University

  • yakun yuan

    • University of California Los Angeles

  • Lane Wyatt Martin

    • materials science and engineering, university of california berkeley
    • University of California, Berkeley

  • Ramamoorthy Ramesh

    • materials science and engineering, university of california berkeley
    • University of California, Berkeley
    • University of California Berkeley
    • UC Berkeley
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Berkley

  • Long-Qing Chen

    • Pennsylvania State University
    • Pennslvania State University
    • Material Science and Engineering, Penn State University

  • Haidan Wen

    • argonne national laboratory
    • Argonne National Laboratory

  • John Freeland

    • argonne national laboratory
    • Argonne National Laboratory
    • Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory
    • Argonne National Laboratory, Advanced Photon Source
    • Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA