0000000000929402
AUTHOR
Heinrich Schwoerer
Ultrafast Metamorphosis of a Complex Charge Density Wave in Tantalumdiselenite
Using ultrafast electron diffraction, we record the transformation between a nearly-commensurate and an incommensurate charge-density-wave in 1T-TaS2, which takes place orders of magnitude faster than previously observed for commensurate-to-incommensurate transitions.
Ultrafast Metamorphosis of a Complex Charge-Density Wave
Modulated phases, commensurate or incommensurate with the host crystal lattice, are ubiquitous in solids. The transition between such phases involves formation and rearrangement of domain walls and is generally slow. Using ultrafast electron diffraction, we directly record the photoinduced transformation between a nearly commensurate and an incommensurate charge-density-wave phase in 1T-TaS(2). The transformation takes place on the picosecond time scale, orders of magnitude faster than previously observed for commensurate-to-incommensurate transitions. The transition speed and mechanism can be linked to the peculiar nanoscale structure of the photoexcited nearly commensurate phase.