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Interaction of Light with Density Waves and Other Superlattices

ORAL · Invited

Abstract

In recent years, light has been used to manipulate the electronic properties of various charge density wave compounds. A metastable insulator-metal transition as well as mirror domain creation has been observed upon the application of a single light pulse in 1T-TaS2, while competing density waves can be observed away from thermal equilibrium in LaTe3. In this talk, I will present data demonstrating that chemical changes can also be instigated photo-thermally in the form of chemical intercalation in 1T-TaS2. Within a couple seconds of exposure to high intensity pulsed light, a polytypic structural transition can be induced along with chemical self-intercalation into the van der Waals gap. These intercalated atoms can order structurally and in other ways. Our work illustrates a new route towards photo-thermal manipulation of density wave compounds and paves the way for studies on similar quasi-two dimensional materials.

Presenters

  • Anshul Kogar

    University of California Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles

Authors

  • Anshul Kogar

    University of California Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles