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We investigate THz conductivity dynamics in NdNiO 3 and EuNiO 3 ultrathin films (15 unit cells, u.c., ∼5.7 nm thick) following a photoinduced thermal quench into the metallic state and reveal a clear contrast between first- and second-order dynamics. While in EuNiO 3 the conductivity recovers exponentially, in NdNiO 3 the recovery is nonexponential and slower than a simple thermal model. Crucially, it is consistent with first-order dynamics and well-described by a 2d Avrami model, with supercooling leading to metastable phase coexistence on the nano- to mesoscopic scale. This novel observation is a fundamentally dynamic manifestation of the first-order character of the insulator-to-metal transition, which the nanoscale thickness of our films and their fast cooling rate enable us to detect. The large transients seen in our films are promising for fast electronic (and magnetic) switching applications.

A second-order phase transition in a physical system is associated with the emergence of an "order parameter" and a spontaneous symmetry breaking. The heavy fermion superconductor URu2Si2 has a "hidden order" (HO) phase below the temperature of 17.5 kelvin; the symmetry of the associated order parameter has remained ambiguous. Here we use polarization-resolved Raman spectroscopy to specify the symmetry of the low-energy excitations above and below the HO transition. We determine that the HO parameter breaks local vertical and diagonal reflection symmetries at the uranium sites, resulting in crystal field states with distinct chiral properties, which order to a commensurate chirality density wave ground state., (Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.)

The terahertz (THz) excitations in the quantum spin-ladder system Sr14Cu24O41 have been determined along the c axis using THz time-domain, Raman, and infrared spectroscopy. Low-frequency infrared and Raman active modes are observed above and below the charge-ordering temperature T(co) is approximately equal to 200 K over a narrow interval approximately equal to 1-2 meV approximately equal to 8-16 cm(-1)). A new infrared mode at approximately equal to 1 meV develops below approximately equal to 100 K. The temperature dependence of these modes shows that they are coupled to the charge- and spin-density-wave correlations in this system. These low-energy features are conjectured to originate in the gapped sliding motion of the chain and ladder subsystems, which are both incommensurate and charged.

Iodine added to iodide-based ionic liquids leads to extraordinarily efficient charge transport, vastly exceeding that expected for such viscous systems. Using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, in conjunction with dc conductivity, diffusivity and viscosity measurements we unravel the conductivity pathways in 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium iodide melts. This study presents evidence of the Grotthuss mechanism as a significant contributor to the conductivity, and provides new insights into ion pairing processes as well as the formation of polyiodides. The terahertz and transport results are reunited in a model providing a quantitative description of the conduction by physical diffusion and the Grotthuss bond-exchange process. These novel results are important for the fundamental understanding of conduction in molten salts and for applications where ionic liquids are used as charge-transporting media such as in batteries and dye-sensitized solar cells., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

We present a study of the relaxation dynamics of the photoexcited conductivity of the impurity states in the low-density electronic glass, phosphorous-doped silicon Si:P. Using subband gap optical pump-terahertz probe spectroscopy we find strongly temperature- and fluence-dependent glassy power-law relaxation occurring over subnanosecond time scales. Such behavior is in contrast to the much longer time scales found in higher electron density glassy systems. We also find evidence for both multiparticle relaxation mechanisms and/or coupling to electronic collective modes and a low temperature quantum relaxational regime.

We present a comparative study of ultrafast photoconversion dynamics in tetracene (Tc) and pentacene (Pc) single crystals and Pc films using optical pump-probe spectroscopy. Photoinduced absorption in Tc and Pc crystals is activated and temperature-independent, respectively, demonstrating dominant singlet-triplet exciton fission. In Pc films (as well as C60-doped films) this decay channel is suppressed by electron trapping. These results demonstrate the central role of crystallinity and purity in photogeneration processes and will constrain the design of future photovoltaic devices.

Ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopic studies have been performed on (C 5Me 5) 2U[- N=C(Ph)(CH 2Ph)] 2 and (C 5Me 5) 2Th[- N=C(Ph)(CH 2Ph)] 2 including, for the uranium complex, the first direct measurement of dynamics of electronic deactivation within a 5f-electron manifold. Evidence has been found for strong coupling between the electronic ground state and the f-electron manifold which dominates the dynamics of the excited states of the bis(ketimide) uranium complex. These also demonstrate strong singlet-f manifold coupling, which assists in the deactivation of the photoexcited state of the uranium complex, and provide information on intersystem crossing and internal conversion processes in both complexes.

We have used terahertz spectroscopy to measure the Josephson plasma resonance in the superconductor Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8+delta. This allows us to probe the longitudinal ordering of pancake vortices as a function of applied ab-plane current in a 2.5 kG c-axis magnetic field. With increasing current in the low temperature vortex solid phase, we observe a decrease in the interlayer phase coherence consistent with a progressive misalignment of the pancake vortices in neighboring layers. In the high temperature vortex liquid phase, an increase in the longitudinal ordering occurs above a certain threshold current. Our results show evidence of a current-driven coupling-decoupling crossover in the pinned liquid phase.

We have studied the photoexcited carrier relaxation dynamics in the Kondo insulator SmB6 and the heavy fermion metal YbAgCu4 as a function of temperature and excitation level. The dynamic response is found to be both strongly temperature dependent and nonlinear. The data are analyzed with a Rothwarf-Taylor bottleneck model, where the dynamics are governed by the presence of a narrow gap in the density of states near the Fermi level. The remarkable agreement with the model suggests that carrier relaxation in a broad class of heavy electron systems (both metals and insulators) is governed by the presence of a (weakly temperature dependent) hybridization gap.

We have unambiguously observed the c -axis Josephson plasma resonance (JPR) in high-critical-temperature (T(c)) cuprate (Tl(2)Ba(2)CaCu(2)O(8)) superconducting thin films, employing terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in transmission as a function of temperature in zero magnetic field. These are believed to be the first measurements of the JPR temperature dependence of a high-T(c) material in transmission. With increasing temperature, the JPR shifts from 705 GHz at 10 K to ~170 GHz at 98 K, corresponding to an increase in c-axis penetration depth from 22.4+/-0.6mum to 94+/-9mum . The linewidth of the JPR peak increases with temperature, which indicates an increase in the quasi-particle scattering rate. We have probed the onset of the c -axis phase coherence to ~0.95T(c) . The JPR vanishes above T(c) as expected.

Ultrafast picosecond measurements of optically induced changes in the absolute conductivity (0.4-1.0 THz) of La0.7M0.3MnO3 thin films ( M = Ca, Sr) from 10 K to approximately 0.9 Tc reveal a two-component relaxation. A fast, approximately 2 ps, conductivity decrease arises from an optically induced modification of the effective phonon temperature. The slower component, related to spin-lattice relaxation, has a lifetime that increases upon approaching Tc from below in accordance with an increasing spin specific heat. We show that, for T<