TY - JOUR
KW - Light
KW - Lead titanate
KW - Phase field models
KW - Dielectric properties
KW - Two phase flow
KW - X-ray scattering
KW - Magnetic phenomena
KW - Nanoscale periodicity
KW - Non-equilibrium phasis
KW - Photo-induced charge
KW - Three-dimensional structure
KW - Two-phase equilibria
KW - Ultrafast light pulse
KW - Coherent scattering
AU - V.A Stoica
AU - N Laanait
AU - C Dai
AU - Z Hong
AU - Y Yuan
AU - Z Zhang
AU - S Lei
AU - M.R McCarter
AU - Ajay K Yadav
AU - A.R Damodaran
AU - S Das
AU - G.A Stone
AU - J Karapetrova
AU - D.A Walko
AU - X Zhang
AU - L.W Martin
AU - Ramamoorthy Ramesh
AU - L.-Q Chen
AU - H Wen
AU - V Gopalan
AU - J.W Freeland
AB - 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 PbTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 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. Our results demonstrate opportunities for light-activated pathways to thermally inaccessible and emergent metastable states. © 2019, This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply.
BT - Nature Materials
DO - 10.1038/s41563-019-0311-x
LA - eng
M1 - 4
N1 - cited By 9
N2 - 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 PbTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 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. Our results demonstrate opportunities for light-activated pathways to thermally inaccessible and emergent metastable states. © 2019, This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply.
PB - Nature Publishing Group
PY - 2019
SP - 377
EP - 383
T2 - Nature Materials
TI - Optical creation of a supercrystal with three-dimensional nanoscale periodicity
VL - 18
SN - 14761122
ER -