Coherent order parameter dynamics in SmTe3
Abstract
We present ultrafast optical pump-probe and ultrafast x-ray diffraction measurements of the charge density wave dynamics in SmTe3 at 300 K. We performed ultrafast x-ray diffraction measurements at the Linac Coherent Light Source to directly probe the dynamics of the finite-wave-vector order parameter. The dynamics reveal coherent oscillations at ∼1.6 THz that become overdamped with increasing fluence. We identify this oscillation with the lattice component of the amplitude mode. Furthermore, our data allow for a clear identification of the amplitude mode frequency in the optical pump-probe data. In both measurements, the system reaches the symmetric phase at high fluence, where the order parameter vanishes and the response (reflectivity and x-ray intensity) is quadratic in the order parameter. This is observed in the x-ray diffraction as a small overdamped modulation near zero intensity. Similar overdamped features are observed in the optical reflectivity at high fluence. A time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model captures qualitatively the essential features of the experimental observations.
- Publication:
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Physical Review B
- Pub Date:
- March 2019
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevB.99.104111
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1809.09799
- Bibcode:
- 2019PhRvB..99j4111T
- Keywords:
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- Condensed Matter - Materials Science
- E-Print:
- 7 pages, 5 figures