Ultrafast dissolution and creation of bonds in IrTe₂ induced by photodoping.

ABSTRACT: The observation and control of interweaving spin, charge, orbital, and structural degrees of freedom in materials on ultrafast time scales reveal exotic quantum phenomena and enable new active forms of nanotechnology. Bonding is the prime example of the relation between electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom. We report direct evidence illustrating that photoexcitation can be used for ultrafast control of the breaking and recovery of bonds in solids on unprecedented time scales, near the limit for nuclear motions. We describe experimental and theoretical studies of IrTe₂ using femtosecond electron diffraction and density functional theory to investigate bonding instability. Ir-Ir dimerization shows an unexpected fast dissociation and recovery due to the filling of the antibond

SUBMITTER: Ideta SI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6063536 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature