Time-Resolved Near-Field investigation of the Insulator to Metal transition in Vanadium Dioxide

ORAL

Abstract

We have preformed femtosecond time-resolved and nanometer spatially resolved measurements of the insulator-to-metal transition in Vanadium Dioxide (VO2). In order to make this work possible, we have devised and implemented a method for artifact-free nano-imaging with pulsed laser sources [1]. We observe that the transient metallic state is highly inhomogeneous. Following an ultrafast pumping event an increase in near-field signal occurs, where no significant inhomogeneity is observed for approximately fifteen picoseconds. This is followed by a second stage where significant growth of the photo-induced insulator-to-metal transition is observed to evolve inhomogeniously in real space over hundreds of picoseconds. Finally, the growth saturates after several hundred picoseconds when the photo-induced metallic phase occupies the bulk of the material. Our advances pave a pathway to study a wide range of systems with nanoscopic spatial, and ultrafast temporal resolution.
[1] A. J. Sternbach et. al., "Artifact Free Transient Near-Field Nanoscopy" arXiv:1706.08478v2 (2017)

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Presenters

  • Aaron Sternbach

    Columbia Univ, Columbia University, Physics, Columbia University

Authors

  • Aaron Sternbach

    Columbia Univ, Columbia University, Physics, Columbia University

  • Peter Kissin

    Physics, Univ of California - San Diego, Univ of California - San Diego, Physics, University of California, San Diego

  • Tetiana Slusar

    ETRI-Elec Telecomm Rsch Inst, Electronics & Telecommunications Research Institute

  • Jacob Schalch

    Physics, University of California, San Diego, University of California San Diego

  • Guangwu Duan

    Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston University, Boston Univ

  • Kyle Lewis

    Physics, University of California, San Diego

  • Fritz Keilmann

    Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität

  • Xin Zhang

    Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston University, Boston Univ

  • Hyun-Tak Kim

    ETRI-Elec Telecomm Rsch Inst, ETRI, Electronics & Telecommunications Research Institute

  • Richard Averitt

    Physics, University of California, San Diego, Physics, Univ of California - San Diego, Univ of California - San Diego, Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, Department of Physics, Univ of California - San Diego, University of California San Diego

  • Dimitri Basov

    Physics, Columbia University, Department of Physics, Columbia University, Columbia Univ, Columbia University