Ultrafast multi-cycle terahertz measurements of the electrical conductivity in strongly excited solids.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33712576.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-021-21756-6 and PMC identifier 7977037.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Key insights in materials at extreme temperatures and pressures can be gained by accurate measurements that determine the electrical conductivity. Free-electron laser pulses can ionize and excite matter out of equilibrium on femtosecond time scales, modifying the electronic and ionic structures and enhancing electronic scattering properties. The transient evolution of the conductivity manifests the energy coupling from high temperature electrons to low temperature ions. Here we combine accelerator-based, high-brightness multi-cycle terahertz radiation with a single-shot electro-optic sampling technique to probe the evolution of DC electrical conductivity using terahertz transmission measurements on sub-picosecond time scales with a multi-undulator free electron laser. Our results allow the direct determination of the electron-electron and electron-ion scattering frequencies that are the major contributors of the electrical resistivity.