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The theory of the electron relaxation in simple metals excited by an ultrashort optical pump is developed on the basis of the solution of the linearized Boltzmann kinetic equation. The kinetic equation includes both the electron-electron and the electron-phonon collision integrals and assumes that Fermi liquid theory is applicable for the description of a simple metal. The widely used two-temperature model follows from the theory as the limiting case when the thermalization due to the electron-electron collisions is fast with respect to the electron-phonon relaxation. It is demonstrated that the energy relaxation has two consecutive processes. The first and most important step describes the emission of phonons by the photoexcited electrons. It leads to the relaxation of 90% of the energy before the electrons become thermalized among themselves. The second step describes electron-phonon thermalization and may be described by the two-temperature model. The second stage is difficult to observe experimentally because it involves the transfer of only a small amount of energy from electrons. Thus the theory explains why the divergence of the relaxation time at low temperatures has never been observed experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interplay between the electronic and structural subsystems has strong implications on the character of collective excitations in cooperative systems. Their detailed understanding can provide important information on the coupling mechanisms and coupling strengths in such systems. With the recent developments in femtosecond time-resolved optical probes, numerous advantages with respect to conventional time-integrated probes have been put forward. Owing to their high dynamic range, high-frequency resolution, fast data acquisition, and an inherent access to phases of coherent excitations, they provide direct access to the interplay between various degrees of freedom. In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of time-resolved optical data on blue bronzes (K0.3MoO3 and Rb0.3MoO3), prototype quasi-one-dimensional charge-density wave (CDW) systems. Numerous coherent (Raman active) modes appear upon the phase transition into the CDW state. We analyze the temperature dependence of mode frequencies, their damping times, as well as their oscillator strengths and phases using the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model. We demonstrate that these low-temperature modes are a result of linear coupling between the Fermi surface nesting driven modulation of the conduction electron density and the normal-state phonons at the CDW wave vector, and determine their coupling strengths. Moreover, we are able to identify the nature of excitation of these coupled modes, as well as the nature of the probing mechanisms in this type of experiments. We demonstrate that in incommensurate CDW systems, femtosecond optical excitation initially suppresses the electronic density modulation, while the reflectivity changes at frequencies far above the CDW induced gap in the single-particle excitation spectrum are governed by the modulation of interband transitions caused by lattice motion. This approach can be readily extended to more complex systems with spatially modulated ground states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic temperature-dependent study of the femtosecond optical superconducting (SC) state destruction and recovery in Bi2 Sr2 CaCu2 O8+δ cuprate superconductor by means of the all-optical polarization-sensitive multipulse spectroscopy is presented. At low temperatures and a partial SC state suppression, an anisotropic SC-gap recovery time scale is suggested by the data. The SC state destruction and recovery dynamics are compared to the recent TR-ARPES-inferred SC-gap dynamics and a qualitative agreement is found. Using a phenomenological response function, the experimental data are also compared to time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We derive the kinetic equations for a hopping transport that take into account an electron spin and the possibility of double occupation. In the Ohmic regime, the equations are reduced to the generalized Miller-Abrahams resistor network. We apply these equations to the problem of the magnetic moment relaxation due to the interaction with the random hyperfine fields. It is shown that in a wide range of parameters the relaxation rate is governed by the hops with the similar rates as spin precession frequency. It is demonstrated that at the large time scale spin relaxation is nonexponential. We argue that the nonexponential relaxation of the magnetic moment is related to the spin of electrons in the slow-relaxing traps. Interestingly, the traps can significantly influence the spin relaxation in the infinite conducting cluster at large times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study theoretically how the dynamics of the resistive state in narrow superconducting channels shunted by an external resistor depends on channel's length L, the applied current j, and parameter u characterizing the penetration depth of the electric field in nonequilibrium superconductors. We show that changing u dramatically affects both the behavior of the current-voltage characteristics of the superconducting channels and the dynamics of their order parameter. Previously, it was demonstrated that when u is less than the critical value ucl, which does not depend on L, the phase slip centers appear simultaneously at different spots of the channel. Herewith, for u > uc2 these centers arise consecutively at the same place. In our work we demonstrate that there is another critical value for u. Actually, if u does not exceed a certain value uc2, which depends on L, the current-voltage characteristic exhibits the step-like behavior. However, for u > uc2 it becomes hysteretic. In this case, with increase of j the steady state, which corresponds to the time-independent distribution of the order parameter along the channel, losses its stability at switching current value jsw, and time-periodic oscillations of both the order parameter and electric field occur in the channel. As j sweeps down, the periodic dynamics ceases at certain retrapping current value jr < jsw. Shunting the channel by a resistor increases the value of jr, while jsw remains unchanged. Thus, for some high-enough conductivity of the shunt, jr and jsw eventually coincide, and the hysteretic loop disappears. We reveal dynamical regimes involved in the hysteresis and discuss the bifurcation transitions between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the incoherent recombination of topological defects created during a rapid quench of a charge-density-wave system through the electronic ordering transition. Using a specially devised three-pulse femtosecond optical spectroscopy technique we follow the evolution of the order parameter over a wide range of time scales. By careful consideration of thermal processes we can clearly identify intrinsic topological defect annihilation processes on a time scale ~30 ps and find a possible signature of extrinsic defect-dominated relaxation dynamics occurring on longer time scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-dimensional lattice gas model with competing short- and long-range interactions is used for calculation of the incoherent charge transport in the classical strongly correlated charge segregated polaronic state. We show, by means of Monte Carlo simulations, that at high temperature the transport is dominated by hopping of the dissociated correlated polarons. At temperatures below the clustering transition temperature the bipolaron transport becomes dominant. The energy barrier for the bipolaron hopping is determined by Coulomb effects and is found to be lower than the barrier for the single-polaron hopping at moderate doping levels and vanishes for very small doping levels. This leads to drastically different temperature dependencies of mobilities for polarons and bipolarons at low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anharmonic response of charge-density wave (CDW) order to strong laser-pulse perturbations in 1?T-TaS2 and TbTe3 is investigated by means of multiple-pump-pulse time-resolved femtosecond optical spectroscopy. We observe remarkable anharmonic effects hitherto undetected in systems exhibiting collective charge ordering. The efficiency for additional excitation of the amplitude mode by a laser pulse becomes periodically modulated after the mode is strongly excited into a coherently oscillating state. A similar effect is observed also for some other phonons, where the cross-modulation at the amplitude-mode frequency indicates anharmonic interaction of those phonons with the amplitude mode. By analyzing the observed phenomena in the framework of time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory we attribute the effects to the anharmonicity of the mode potentials inherent in the broken symmetry state of the CDW systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a theory of the upper critical field in a BCS superconductor with a nonlocal interaction between electrons. We have shown that the nonlocal interaction is characterized by the parameter kFρ0, where kF is the Fermi momentum and ρ0 is the radius of electron-electron interaction. The presence of the external magnetic field leads to the generation of additional components of the order parameter with different angular momenta. This effect leads to the enhancement of the upper critical field above the orbital limiting field. In addition the upward curvature in the temperature dependence of Hc2(T) in the clean limit is predicted. The impurity scattering suppresses the effect in the dirty limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quasiparticle (QP) dynamics with different symmetry is investigated in the superconducting (SC) and normal state of the high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi2212) using optical pump-probe experiments with different light polarizations at different doping levels. The observation of distinct selection rules for SC excitations present in A1g and B1g symmetries, and for the pseudogap (PG) excitations present in A1g and B2g symmetries by the probe, and absence of any dependence on the pump beam polarization leads to the unequivocal conclusion of the existence of a spontaneous spatial symmetry breaking in the PG state not limited to the sample surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The processes leading to nonthermal condensate vaporization and charge-density-wave (CDW) melting with femtosecond laser pulses is systematically investigated in different materials. We find that vaporization is relatively slow (τv ~ 1 ps) and inefficient in superconductors, exhibiting a strong systematic dependence of the vaporization energy Uv on Tc. In contrast, melting of CDW order proceeds rapidly (τm = 50-200 fs) and more efficiently. A quantitative model describing the observed systematic behavior in superconductors is proposed based on a phonon-mediated quasiparticle (QP) bottleneck mechanism. In contrast, Fermi-surface disruption by hot QPs is proposed to be responsible for CDW state melting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using time-domain terahertz spectroscopy we performed direct studies of the photoinduced suppression and recovery of the superconducting gap in a conventional BCS superconductor NbN. Both processes are found to be strongly temperature and excitation density dependent. The analysis of the data with the established phenomenological Rothwarf-Taylor model enabled us to determine the bare quasi-particle recombination rate, the Cooper pair-breaking rate and the electron-phonon coupling constant, λ = 1.1 ± 0. l, which is in excellent agreement with theoretical estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of depletion and recovery of a superconducting state in La2-xSrxCuO4 thin films is investigated utilizing optical pump-probe and optical pump-THz-probe techniques as a function of temperature and excitation fluence. The absorbed energy density required to suppress superconductivity is found to be about eight times higher than the thermodynamically determined condensation energy density and nearly temperature independent between 4 and 25 K. These findings indicate that, during the time when the superconducting state suppression takes place (≈0.7 ps), a large part (nearly 90%) of the energy is transferred to the phonons with energy lower than twice the maximum value of the superconducting gap and only 10% is spent on Cooper pair breaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quest for a pairing boson in cuprate high-temperature superconductors is one of the outstanding tasks of solid-state physics. Numerous time-resolved studies of pair breaking, related to pairing by time-reversal symmetry, have been performed using femtosecond optical pulses. By considering energy relaxation pathways between charge, spin, and lattice degrees of freedom, evidence for both phonon and antiferromagnetic fluctuation-mediated pairing has been obtained. Here we present a study of the superconducting-state depletion process in an electron-doped cuprate Pr1.85Ce0.15CuO4-δ, where the superconducting gap is smaller than the energy of relevant bosonic excitations. When pumping with above-gap terahertz pulses, we find that the absorbed energy density required to deplete superconductivity, Adep, matches the thermodynamic condensation energy. On the contrary, by near-infrared pumping, Adep is an order of magnitude higher, as in the case of hole-doped, large-gap cuprates. These results imply that only a small subset of bosons, which are generated during the relaxation of optically excited carriers, contributes to pairing. This observation implies that, contrary to the common assumptions, electron-boson coupling in cuprates is strongly energy dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systems which rapidly evolve through symmetry-breaking transitions on timescales comparable to the fluctuation timescale of the single-particle excitations may behave very differently than under controlled near-ergodic conditions. A real-time investigation with high temporal resolution may reveal insights into the ordering through the transition that are not available in static experiments. We present an investigation of the system trajectory through a normal-to-superconductor transition in a prototype high-temperature superconducting cuprate in which such a situation occurs. Using a multiple pulse femtosecond spectroscopy technique we measure the system trajectory and time evolution of the single-particle excitations through the transition in La1.9Sr0.1CuO4 and compare the data to a simulation based on the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory, using the laser excitation fluence as an adjustable parameter controlling the quench conditions in both experiment and theory. The comparison reveals the presence of significant superconducting fluctuations which precede the transition on short timescales. By including superconducting fluctuations as a seed for the growth of the superconducting order we can obtain a satisfactory agreement of the theory with the experiment. Remarkably, the pseudogap excitations apparently play no role in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study THz-driven condensate dynamics in epitaxial thin films of MgB&#95;{2}, a prototype two-band superconductor (SC) with weak interband coupling. The temperature and excitation density dependent dynamics follow the behavior predicted by the phenomenological bottleneck model for the single-gap SC, implying adiabatic coupling between the two condensates on the ps timescale. The amplitude of the THz-driven suppression of condensate density reveals an unexpected decrease in pair-breaking efficiency with increasing temperature-unlike in the case of optical excitation. The reduced pair-breaking efficiency of narrow-band THz pulses, displaying minimum near ≈0.7  T&#95;{c}, is attributed to THz-driven, long-lived, nonthermal quasiparticle distribution, resulting in Eliashberg-type enhancement of superconductivity, competing with pair breaking.

We study the incoherent recombination of topological defects created during a rapid quench of a charge-density-wave system through the electronic ordering transition. Using a specially devised three-pulse femtosecond optical spectroscopy technique we follow the evolution of the order parameter over a wide range of time scales. By careful consideration of thermal processes we can clearly identify intrinsic topological defect annihilation processes on a time scale ∼30  ps and find a possible signature of extrinsic defect-dominated relaxation dynamics occurring on longer time scales.

Unconventional symmetries of the order parameter allowed some researchers to maintain that a purely repulsive interaction between electrons provides superconductivity without phonons in a number of high-temperature superconductors. It is shown that the Cooper pairing in p and d states is not possible with the realistic Coulomb repulsion between fermions at relevant temperatures in any dimension., (© 2011 American Physical Society)

We determined electronic relaxation times via pump-probe optical spectroscopy using sub-15 fs pulses for the normal state of two different cuprate superconductors. We show that the primary relaxation process is the electron-phonon interaction and extract a measure of its strength, the second moment of the Eliashberg function λ[ω2] = 800 ± 200 meV2 for La(1.85)Sr(0.15)CuO4 and λ[ω2] = 400 ± 100 meV2 for YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6.5). These values suggest a possible fundamental role of the electron-phonon interaction in the superconducting pairing mechanism.

We consider flux penetration to a 2D superconducting cylinder. We show that in the low field limit the kinetics is deterministic. In the strong field limit the dynamics becomes stochastic. Surprisingly the inhomogeneity in the cylinder reduces the level of stochasticity because of the predominance of Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices.

We report on the high resolution studies of the temperature (T) dependence of the q=0 phonon spectrum in the quasi-one-dimensional charge density wave (CDW) compound K(0.3)MoO(3) utilizing time-resolved optical spectroscopy. Numerous modes that appear below T(c) show pronounced T dependences of their amplitudes, frequencies, and dampings. Utilizing the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory we show that these modes result from linear coupling of the electronic part of the order parameter to the 2k(F) phonons, while the (electronic) CDW amplitude mode is overdamped.

We use femtosecond spectroscopy to investigate the quasiparticle relaxation and low-energy electronic structure in a nearly optimally doped pnictide superconductor with T{c}=49.5 K. Multiple relaxation processes are evident, with distinct superconducting state quasiparticle recombination dynamics exhibiting a T-dependent superconducting gap, and a clear "pseudogaplike" feature with an onset above 180 K indicating the existence of a temperature-independent gap of magnitude Delta{PG}=61+/-9 meV above T{c}. Both the superconducting and pseudogap components show saturation as a function of fluence with distinct saturation fluences 4 and 40 microJ/cm{2}, respectively.

We measured the temperature and fluence dependence of the time-resolved photoinduced optical reflectivity in a decagonal Al71.9Ni11.1Co17.0 quasicrystal. We find no evidence for the relaxation of a hot thermalized electron gas as observed in metals. Instead, a quick diffusion of the hot nonthermal carriers approximately 40 nm into the bulk is detected, enhanced by the presence of a broad pseudogap. From the relaxation dynamics we find evidence for the suppression of the electronic density of states (DOS) at the Fermi energy with respect to the electronic DOS at approximately 13 meV away from the Fermi energy which is consistent with recent theoretical calculations.

We use ultrashort intense laser pulses to study superconducting state vaporization dynamics in La2-xSrxCuO4 (x=0.1 and 0.15) on the femtosecond time scale. We find that the energy density required to vaporize the superconducting state is 2.0+/-0.8 and 2.6+/-1.0 K/Cu for x=0.1 and 0.15, respectively. This is significantly greater than the condensation energy density, indicating that the quasiparticles share a large amount of energy with the boson glue bath on this time scale. Considering in detail both spin and lattice energy relaxation pathways which take place on the relevant time scale of approximately 10(-12) s, the experiments appear to favor phonon-mediated pair-breaking mechanisms over spin-mediated pair breaking.

Pairing of oxygen holes into heavy bipolarons in the paramagnetic phase and their magnetic pair breaking in the ferromagnetic phase (the so-called current-carrier density collapse) has accounted for the first-order ferromagnetic-phase transition, colossal magnetoresistance, isotope effect, and pseudogap in doped manganites. Here we propose an explanation of the phase coexistence and describe the magnetization and resistivity of manganites near the ferromagnetic transition in the framework of the current-carrier density collapse. The present quantitative description of resistivity is obtained without any fitting parameters, by using the experimental resistivities far away from the transition and the experimental magnetization, and is essentially model-independent.

Superconducting state dynamics following excitation of a superconductor with a femtosecond optical pulse is studied in terms of a phenomenological Rothwarf and Taylor model. Analytical solutions for various limiting cases are obtained. The model is found to account for the intensity and temperature dependence of both photoinduced quasiparticle density, as well as pair-breaking and superconducting state recovery dynamics in conventional as well as cuprate superconductors.

Analytical expressions for the magnetization and the longitudinal conductivity of nanowires are derived in a magnetic field, B. We show that the interplay between size and magnetic field energy-level quantizations manifests itself through novel magnetic quantum oscillations in metallic nanowires. There are three characteristic frequencies of de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) and Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations, F = F(0)/(1 + gamma)(3/2), and F(+/-) = 2F(0)/|1 + gamma +/- (1 + gamma)(1/2)|, in contrast with a single frequency F(0) = S(F)plankc/(2pie) in simple bulk metals. The amplitude of oscillations is strongly enhanced in some magic magnetic fields. The wire cross-section area S can be measured using the oscillations as S = 4pi(2)S(F)plank(2)c(2)/(gammae(2)B(2)) along with the Fermi-surface cross-section area, S(F).

The properties of a system of charged particles on a 2D lattice, subject to an anisotropic Jahn-Teller-type interaction and 3D Coulomb repulsion, are investigated. In the mean-field approximation without Coulomb interaction, the system displays a phase transition of first order. When the long-range Coulomb interaction is included, Monte Carlo simulations show that the system displays very diverse mesoscopic textures, ranging from spatially disordered pairs to ordered arrays of stripes, or charged clusters, depending only on the ratio of the two interactions (and the particle density). Remarkably, charged objects with an even number of particles are more stable than with an odd number of particles. We suggest that the diverse functional behavior-including superconductivity-observed in oxides can be thought to arise from the self-organization of this type.

We present studies of the photoexcited quasiparticle dynamics in MgB2 where, using femtosecond optical techniques, Cooper pair-breaking dynamics (PBD) have been temporally resolved for the first time. The PBD are strongly temperature and photoexcitation intensity dependent. Analysis of the PBD using the Rothwarf-Taylor equations suggests that the anomalous PBD arises from the fact that in MgB2 photoexcitation is initially followed by energy relaxation to high frequency phonons instead of, as commonly assumed, e-e thermalization. Furthermore, the bare quasiparticle recombination rate and the probability for pair breaking by phonons have been determined.

We present the first femtosecond studies of electron-phonon (e-ph) thermalization in heavy-fermion compounds. The e-ph thermalization time tau(ep) increases below the Kondo temperature by more than 2 orders of magnitude as T=0 K is approached. Analysis using the two-temperature model and numerical simulations based on Boltzmann's equations suggest that this anomalous slowing down of the e-ph thermalization derives from the large electronic specific heat and the suppression of scattering between heavy electrons and phonons.

We report on the very peculiar magnetic properties of an ensemble of very weakly coupled lithium-doped MoS2 nanotubes. The magnetic susceptibility chi of the system is nearly 3 orders of magnitude greater than in typical Pauli metals, yet there is no evidence for any instability which would alleviate this highly frustrated state. Instead, the material exhibits peculiar paramagnetic stability down to very low temperatures, with no evidence of a quantum critical point as T-->0 in spite of clear evidence for strongly correlated electron behavior. The exceptionally weak intertube interactions appear to lead to a realization of a near-ideal one-dimensional state in which fluctuations prevent the system from reordering magnetically or structurally.