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A central paradigm of non-equilibrium physics concerns the dynamics of heterogeneity and disorder, impacting processes ranging from the behavior of glasses to the emergent functionality of active matter. Understanding these complex mesoscopic systems requires probing the microscopic trajectories associated with irreversible processes, the role of fluctuations and entropy growth, and the timescales on which non-equilibrium responses are ultimately maintained. Approaches that illuminate these processes in model systems may enable a more general understanding of other heterogeneous non-equilibrium phenomena, and potentially define ultimate speed and energy cost limits for information processing technologies. Here, we apply ultrafast single shot x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy to resolve the non-equilibrium, heterogeneous, and irreversible mesoscale dynamics during a light-induced phase transition. This approach defines a new way of capturing the nucleation of the induced phase, the formation of transient mesoscale defects at the boundaries of the nuclei, and the eventual annihilation of these defects, even in systems with complex polarization topologies. A non-equilibrium response spanning >10 orders of magnitude in timescales is observed, with multistep behavior similar to the plateaus observed in supercooled liquids and glasses. We show how the observed time-dependent long-time correlations can be understood in terms of the stochastic dynamics of domain walls, encoded in effective waiting-time distributions with power-law tails. This work defines new possibilities for probing the non-equilibrium and correlated dynamics of disordered and heterogeneous media.

Ultrashort x-ray pulses can be used to disentangle magnetic and structural dynamics and are accordingly utilized here to study the photoexcitation of NdNiO$_3$ (NNO), a model nickelate exhibiting structural and magnetic dynamics that conspire to induce an IMT. During the course of the photoinduced insulator to metal transition (IMT) with above gap excitation, we observe an ultrafast ($<$ 180 fs) quenching of magnetic order followed by a time delayed collapse of the insulating phase probed by X-ray absorption and THz transmission (~ 450 fs) that correlates with the slowest optical phonon mode involved in the structural transition. A simultaneous order-disorder response at the Ni site and displacive response at the Nd site coexist in the ultrafast magnetic response. Crucially, we observe the optical phonon through its coherent coupling with Nd magnetic order, demonstrating that the magnetic and structural degrees of freedom both contribute in driving the IMT. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal a consistent scenario where optically driven inter-site charge transfer (ICT) drives a collapse of antiferromagnetic order that in turn destabilizes the charge-ordered phase resulting in an IMT. These experiments provide new modalities for control of electronic phase transitions in quantum materials based on ultrafast interplay between structural and magnetic orders created by femtosecond photoexcitation., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, major revision and title change from previous version

Neutron-rich light nuclei and their reactions play an important role for the creation of chemical elements. Here, data from a Coulomb dissociation experiment on $^{20,21}$N are reported. Relativistic $^{20,21}$N ions impinged on a lead target and the Coulomb dissociation cross section was determined in a kinematically complete experiment. Using the detailed balance theorem, the $^{19}\mathrm{N}(\mathrm{n},\gamma)^{20}\mathrm{N}$ and $^{20}\mathrm{N}(\mathrm{n},\gamma)^{21}\mathrm{N}$ excitation functions and thermonuclear reaction rates have been determined. The $^{19}\mathrm{N}(\mathrm{n},\gamma)^{20}\mathrm{N}$ rate is up to a factor of 5 higher at $T<1$\,GK with respect to previous theoretical calculations, leading to a 10\,\% decrease in the predicted fluorine abundance.

With the R$^{3}$B-LAND setup at GSI we have measured exclusive relative-energy spectra of the Coulomb dissociation of $^{18}$C at a projectile energy around 425~AMeV on a lead target, which are needed to determine the radiative neutron-capture cross sections of $^{17}$C into the ground state of $^{18}$C. Those data have been used to constrain theoretical calculations for transitions populating excited states in $^{18}$C. This allowed to derive the astrophysical cross section $\sigma^{*}_{\mathrm{n}\gamma}$ accounting for the thermal population of $^{17}$C target states in astrophysical scenarios. The experimentally verified capture rate is significantly lower than those of previously obtained Hauser-Feshbach estimations at temperatures $T_{9}\leq{}1$~GK. Network simulations with updated neutron-capture rates and hydrodynamics according to the neutrino-driven wind model as well as the neutron-star merger scenario reveal no pronounced influence of neutron capture of $^{17}$C on the production of second- and third-peak elements in contrast to earlier sensitivity studies.

Background: Models describing nuclear fragmentation and fragmentation-fission deliver important input for planning nuclear physics experiments and future radioactive ion beam facilities. These models are usually benchmarked against data from stable beam experiments. In the future, two-step fragmentation reactions with exotic nuclei as stepping stones are a promising tool to reach the most neutron-rich nuclei, creating a need for models to describe also these reactions. Purpose: We want to extend the presently available data on fragmentation reactions towards the light exotic region on the nuclear chart. Furthermore, we want to improve the understanding of projectile fragmentation especially for unstable isotopes. Method: We have measured projectile fragments from 10,12-18C and 10-15B isotopes colliding with a carbon target. These measurements were all performed within one experiment, which gives rise to a very consistent dataset. We compare our data to model calculations. Results: One-proton removal cross sections with different final neutron numbers (1pxn) for relativistic 10,12-18C and 10-15B isotopes impinging on a carbon target. Comparing model calculations to the data, we find that EPAX is not able to describe the data satisfactorily. Using ABRABLA07 on the other hand, we find that the average excitation energy per abraded nucleon needs to be decreased from 27 MeV to 8.1 MeV. With that decrease ABRABLA07 describes the data surprisingly well. Conclusions: Extending the available data towards light unstable nuclei with a consistent set of new data have allowed for a systematic investigation of the role of the excitation energy induced in projectile fragmentation. Most striking is the apparent mass dependence of the average excitation energy per abraded nucleon. Nevertheless, this parameter, which has been related to final-state interactions, requires further study.

The very neutron-rich oxygen isotopes 25O and 26O are investigated experimentally and theoret- ically. In this first R3B-LAND experiment, the unbound states are populated at GSI via proton- knockout reactions from 26F and 27F at relativistic energies around 450 MeV/nucleon. From the kinematically complete measurement of the decay into 24O plus one or two neutrons, the 25O ground- state energy and lifetime are determined, and upper limits for the 26O ground state are extracted. In addition, the results provide evidence for an excited state in 26O at around 4 MeV. The ex- perimental findings are compared to theoretical shell-model calculations based on chiral two- and three-nucleon (3N) forces, including for the first time residual 3N forces, which are shown to be amplified as valence neutrons are added.

The pygmy dipole resonance has been studied in the proton-magic nucleus 124Sn with the (a,a'g) coincidence method at E=136 MeV. The comparison with results of photon-scattering experiments reveals a splitting into two components with different structure: one group of states which is excited in (a,a'g) as well as in (g,g') reactions and a group of states at higher energies which is only excited in (g,g') reactions. Calculations with the self-consistent relativistic quasiparticle time-blocking approximation and the quasiparticle phonon model are in qualitative agreement with the experimental results and predict a low-lying isoscalar component dominated by neutron-skin oscillations and a higher-lying more isovector component on the tail of the giant dipole resonance.