Ultrafast optical switching to a metallic state by photoinduced mott transition in a halogen-bridged nickel-chain compound

Phys Rev Lett. 2003 Aug 1;91(5):057401. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.057401. Epub 2003 Jul 28.

Abstract

We demonstrate the ultrafast photoinduced Mott transition from a charge transfer insulator to a metal in a halogen-bridged Ni-chain compound by pump-probe reflection spectroscopy. Upon the irradiation of a 130-femtosecond laser pulse, the spectral weight of the gap transition is transferred to the inner-gap region. When the photoexcitation density exceeds 0.1/Ni site, the Drude-like high-reflection band appears in the infrared region, signaling the formation of a metallic state. The photogeneration of the metallic state and the subsequent recovery to the original gapped state occur within a few picoseconds.