Transient lattice contraction in the solid-to-plasma transition

Ken R Ferguson; Maximilian Bucher; Tais Gorkhover; Sébastien Boutet; Hironobu Fukuzawa; Jason E Koglin; Yoshiaki Kumagai; Alberto Lutman; Agostino Marinelli; Marc Messerschmidt; Kiyonobu Nagaya; Jim Turner; Kiyoshi Ueda; Garth J Williams; Philip H Bucksbaum; Christoph Bostedt

doi:10.1126/sciadv.1500837

Transient lattice contraction in the solid-to-plasma transition

Sci Adv. 2016 Jan 29;2(1):e1500837. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1500837. eCollection 2016 Jan.

Authors

Ken R Ferguson¹, Maximilian Bucher², Tais Gorkhover³, Sébastien Boutet², Hironobu Fukuzawa⁴, Jason E Koglin², Yoshiaki Kumagai⁴, Alberto Lutman², Agostino Marinelli², Marc Messerschmidt⁵, Kiyonobu Nagaya⁶, Jim Turner², Kiyoshi Ueda⁴, Garth J Williams², Philip H Bucksbaum⁷, Christoph Bostedt⁸

Affiliations

¹ Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.; Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
² Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
³ Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.; Institut für Optik und Atomare Physik, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
⁴ Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
⁵ National Science Foundation BioXFEL Science and Technology Center, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.
⁶ Division of Physics and Astronomy, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
⁷ Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.; Pulse Institute, Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
⁸ Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.; Pulse Institute, Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.; Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA.; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.

Abstract

In condensed matter systems, strong optical excitations can induce phonon-driven processes that alter their mechanical properties. We report on a new phenomenon where a massive electronic excitation induces a collective change in the bond character that leads to transient lattice contraction. Single large van der Waals clusters were isochorically heated to a nanoplasma state with an intense 10-fs x-ray (pump) pulse. The structural evolution of the nanoplasma was probed with a second intense x-ray (probe) pulse, showing systematic contraction stemming from electron delocalization during the solid-to-plasma transition. These findings are relevant for any material in extreme conditions ranging from the time evolution of warm or hot dense matter to ultrafast imaging with intense x-ray pulses or, more generally, any situation that involves a condensed matter-to-plasma transition.

Keywords: cluster; scattering; ultrafast; x-ray.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Models, Theoretical*