Non-equilibrium lattice dynamics of one-dimensional In chains on Si(111) upon ultrafast optical excitation.

The photoinduced structural dynamics of the atomic wire system on the Si(111)-In surface has been studied by ultrafast electron diffraction in reflection geometry. Upon intense fs-laser excitation, this system can be driven in around 1 ps from the insulating [Formula: see text] reconstructed low temperature phase to a metastable metallic [Formula: see text] reconstructed high temperature phase. Subsequent to the structural transition, the surface heats up on a 6 times slower timescale as determined from a transient Debye-Waller analysis of the diffraction spots. From a comparison with the structural response of the high temperature [Formula: see text] phase, we conclude that electron-phonon coupling is responsible for the slow energy transfer from the excited electron system to the lattice. The significant difference in timescales is evidence that the photoinduced structural transition is non-thermally driven.