Controlling magnetic waves in a spin liquid
Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have shown that excitation of a spin liquid with intense THz pulses causes spins to appear and align within less than a picosecond. This induced coherent state causes a magnetic field to form inside the material, which is detected using ultrashort X-ray pulses at the X-ray Free Electron Laser SwissFEL.
Short x-ray pulses reveal the source of light-induced ferroelectricity
Ultrafast measurements of the fluctuating atomic positions in the quantum paraelectric SrTiO3 after mid-infrared light excitation, reveal details about the creation of the material’s ferroelectric state.
The secret life of an electromagnon
SwissFEL sheds light on how lattice and atomic spins jiggle together.
Strong modulation of carrier effective mass in WTe2 via coherent lattice manipulation
Schematic ultrafast surface diffraction setup used for monitoring the crystal lattice in multiple directions.
Anomalous temperature dependence of the experimental x-ray structure factor of supercooled water
Supercooled water scattering signals show an anolmalous structure factor temperature dependence suggesting decreasing density at lowering temperatures below 236 K (-37°C).
Ultrafast electron localization
This experiment performed at SwissFEL shows how fast we can localize electrons out of an electron gas into correlated, well localized states of a material. It is based on a combined ultrafast x-ray absorption and diffraction experiment on an intermetallic system.
Uniquely sharp X-ray view
A new PSI method allows quantum-physical research on materials with the aid of X-ray lasers.
Compact and high-performance, like a Swiss Army knife
The X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL really is as high-performance and versatile as planned.
Conduction control in nanoparticles
Light induced propagation strain pulse, converting nanoparticles of Ti3O5 from semiconducting to metallic phase.
Ultrafast calorimetry of deeply supercooled water
FEL-based ultrafast calorimetry measurements show enhancement and maximum in the isobaric specific-heat.
Long-range coherent dynamics of bound electrons in a solid
Ultrafast long-range coherent dynamics in electronic structure excited by THz pulses and studied using free electron laser based resonant X-ray diffraction.
Ultrafast diffuse x-ray scattering of a hybrid perovskite crystal
Organic–inorganic ‘hybrid’ perovskites have recently gained attention as a low-cost alternative to silicon solar cells. However, many properties of these materials are still poorly understood. In particular, how imperfections in the crystals, which can be both static or dynamic, affect energy transport remains unclear.
Bernina status first summer shutdown
The summer shutdown was used to install more missing hardware. With the new components the Bernina instrument will be already very close to the full design capabilities when the exciting time of user experiments will begin in 2019.
Movie directors with extra roles
Data storage devices based on novel materials are expected to make it possible to record information in a smaller space, at higher speed, and with greater energy efficiency than ever before. Movies shot with the X-ray laser show what happens inside potential new storage media, as well as how the processes by which the material switches between two states can be optimised.
A first glance at the SwissFEL x-rays wave-front
X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs) combine the properties of synchrotron radiation (short wavelengths) and laser radiation (high lateral coherence, ultrashort pulse durations). These outstanding machines allow to study ultra-fast phenomena at an atomic level with unprecedented temporal resolution for answering the most intriguing open questions in biology, chemistry and physics.
First time resolved Pilot Experiment by SwissFEL: Semiconductor to metal transition in Ti3O5 nanocrystals
On the 30th of November 2017 SwissFEL saw its first time resolved pilot experiment in the Bernina experimental station of the SwissFEL ARAMIS beamline. A team of scientists from the University of Rennes, ESRF and PSI, led by Marco Cammarata (Univ. Rennes) and Henrik Lemke (PSI), successfully started the experimental phase at SwissFEL. The goal was to study the picosecond dynamics of a light-induced phase transition from a semiconductor to metallic crystal structure in a Titanium Oxide (D).
Nonlinear electron-phonon coupling in doped manganites
We employ time-resolved resonant x-ray diffraction to study the insulator-to-metal transition that is launched via resonant excitation of an infrared-active optical phonon mode in a half doped manganite. We find that the charge order reduces promptly with a highly nonlinear (quartic) dependence on excitation fluence.