Scientific Highlights

The authors find using resonant and non-resonant x-ray diffraction on an x-ray free electron laser that the structural distortion and the underlying electronic structure of the charge density wave in TiSe₂ show different energetics at ultrafast timescales. This indicates that the lattice distortion stabilizes the charge density wave.

The interaction of light and magnetism at the nanoscale is a topic of fundamental interest and with potential impact to future spintronics applications. in this work we address theoretically and experimentally the effect of femtosecond laser pulse excitation on the magnetic, structural, and chemical stability of individual magnetic cobalt nanoparticles including the role of the substrate or matrix. Eventually, we discuss possible pathways to achieve laser-induced magnetic switching in individual nanostructures.

This work has been highlighted as "Editors' Suggestion" in Physical Review B.

X-rays and neutrons has been used to investigate the correlation between structural and magnetic chirality in magnetic fields and its impact on the polarization in multiferroic langasites. A long wavelength modulation of the magnetic structure has been found, and it is shown that the chirality of the crystals structure connects to chirality of the magnetic structure that leads to an additional electric polarization in this field induced phase, which, depending on the christal chirality, can either increase the electric polarization or lead to a reversal of it for increasing magnetic fields. The theoretical description based on allowed Lifshitz invariants intriguingly contain all the essential ingredients for the realization of topologically stable antiferromagnetic skyrmions.

A research team centered at the X-Treme beam line at the Swiss Light Source has demonstrated that spin-phonon coupling plays a major role in enhancing the magnetic stability of so-called lanthanide phthalocyanine double decker single-molecule magnets. This understanding is important in order to employ such molecules in future spintronics applications.

Via femtosecond x-ray diffraction, we observe an ultrafast increase of the octahedral rotation angle in the perovskite EuTiO₃ after ultrafast laser excitation. This is opposite to what is expected from an increase in temperature. We ascribe this increase to an effective change of ionic sizes that transforms directly into a change of the Goldschmidt tolerance factor. Rotating oxygen octahedra at will opens up the possibility to control electronic and magnetic properties of perovskites on ultrafast timescales.

SIM beamline scientist Carlos Vaz was recognized as outstanding referee for providing high quality peer review for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C (Royal Society of Chemistry).