Electronically induced structure transformations in graphite & silver, studied using ultrafast electron crystallography.

摘要

Electronically induced structure transformations are a unique class of phenomena in which material transformation can be effected by impulsive excitation of the electronic system, often resulting in exotic structural phases and transformation pathways inaccessible to thermodynamic channels. Using ultrafast electron crystallography (UEC), we have directly observed such photodinduced atomic dynamics in two systems - graphite and silver nanocrystals (Ag NC) that appear to be driven by the strong coupling between the laser excitation and lattice perturbations in the form of strongly coupled optical phonons and laser induced electron redistribution.;In graphite, structural changes resulting from photoexcitation with p-polarized, near-IR, femtosecond laser pulses are observed to lead to the nonthermal creation of a transient state with sp3 like bonding characteristics. At laser fluences approaching, but below the damage threshold, the average inter-layer spacing contracts along with creation of new inter-layer distances at ≈ 2 A while the lattice is only moderately heated. The advantage of using electrons (which carry a charge) as a probe is demonstrated, as it reveals the transformation to be driven by a hitherto unobserved surface dipole field, observed here via a Coulomb refraction shift of the scattered electrons within the sub-surface region. Ab initio density functional theory calculations are employed to relate these structural changes to a nonthermal heating of the electrons, followed by a photoinduced charge separation causing a compressive Coulomb stress.;To quantify the role and dynamics of electrons emitted from photoexcited surfaces, a novel 'point-projection method' is introduced, capable of directly imaging the spatiotemporal evolution of such photoemitted electron bunches. The method is shown to provide sufficient sensitivity to image electron bunches (as small as 1010 e/cm3) and permit quantitative investigation of the electron emission from photoexcited graphite surface. It is shown that such photoemission plays a minor role in the refraction shifts observed in the UEC study and a sub-surface dipole field is sufficient to explain the structural and charge relaxations observed. Investigations utilizing scanning electron microscope imaging of structures generated from laser ablation of graphite reveals the creation of geometrically faceted crystalline features, whose Raman spectrum exhibit sp3 like characteristics, though unambiguous identification of diamond structures generated requires further study.;In the case of silver nanocrystals (Ag NC), photoexcitation near the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is observed to lead to fragmentation at fluences below their melting threshold. By isolating each NC from other neighboring NCs in a surface supported geometry, the normally irreversible process becomes reversible and amenable to multi-shot pump-probe diffraction investigations just below the fragmentation threshold. Transient structural, thermal and Coulombic signatures of the pre-fragmented state are extracted from the UEC investigation and combined with a progressive Reverse Monte-Carlo structure refinement scheme to visualize the atomic dynamics leading up to the fragmentation. Such multi-faceted analysis reveals the fragmentation to proceed through the creation and growth of undercoordinated defect sites along which the lattice is weakened. These defects are likely seeded by the strong coupling between SPR dephasing pathways and inter-band transitions that can lead to bond-softening effects and local valence instabilities. The creation of sufficient number of such defect sites at elevated fluences are believed to lead to the eventual fragmentation of the entire NC.;This thesis also details the design and principle of UEC systems employed in a surface probing geometry for the study of nanostructures and interfaces.