Ultrafast Structural Dynamics of Nanoparticles in Intense Laser Fields
Toshiyuki Nishiyama1,2, Yoshiaki Kumagai3, Akinobu Niozu1,2
1Division of Physics and Astronomy, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
Physical Review Letters
|October 22, 2019
Summary
Intense laser pulses create nanoplasma in xenon clusters. The inner core retains its structure, while disorder propagates inward from the surface, revealing ultrafast dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Chemistry
Background:
- Femtosecond laser pulses enable study of ultrafast phase transitions.
- Nonequilibrium states of matter are crucial for understanding dynamic processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate structural dynamics in atomic clusters under intense near-infrared (NIR) laser excitation.
- Characterize the nanoplasma state formed in xenon nanoparticles.
Main Methods:
- Utilized wide-angle scattering with intense femtosecond X-ray pulses.
- Employed a free-electron laser source for high-energy X-ray generation.
- Studied structural changes in xenon nanoparticles pumped into a nanoplasma state.
Main Results:
- Highly excited xenon nanoparticles maintained their crystalline core structure and density.
- The nanoplasma state showed emergent structural disorder.
- Disorder propagation was observed from the cluster surface towards the inner core.
Conclusions:
- Xenon nanoparticles exhibit a resilient crystalline core under intense NIR laser pulses.
- Structural disorder in nanoplasmas develops via a surface-to-core propagation mechanism.
- Femtosecond X-ray scattering provides insights into ultrafast structural evolution in nanomaterials.
