Evidence of Photo-induced Dynamic Competition of Metallic and Insulating Phase in a Layered Manganite.

Journal Article · Wed Dec 16 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/27/49/495602· OSTI ID:1236502

Li, Yuelin; Walko, Donald A.; Li, Qing'an; Liu, Yaohua; Rosenkranz, Stephan; Zheng, Hong; Mitchell, J. F.

We show evidence that the competition between the antiferromagetic metallic phase and the charge- and orbital-ordered insulating phase at the reentrant phase boundary of a layered manganite, LaSr2Mn2O7, can be manipulated using ultrafast optical excitation. The time- dependent evolution of the Jahn-Teller superlattice reflection, which indicates the formation of the charge and orbital order, was measured at different laser fluences. The laser-induced enhancement and reduction the Jahn-Teller reflection intensity shows a reversal of sign between earlier (~10 ns) and later (~150 ns) time delays during the relaxation after photo excitation. This effect is consistent with a scenario whereby the laser excitation modulates the local competition between the metallic and the insulating phases.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science - Office of Basic Energy Sciences - Scientific User Facilities Division; USDOE Office of Science - Office of Basic Energy Sciences - Materials Sciences and Engineering Division
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1236502
• Journal Information: Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter, Vol. 27, Issue 49; ISSN 0953-8984
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English