arXiv subjects

Keith Nelson

Publications and source records attributed to Keith Nelson.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Dynamically suppressed lattice rotations in SrTiO$_3$ as a basis for photo-induced ferroelectricity

Photo-induced ferroelectricity in the quantum paraelectric SrTiO$_3$ involves the dynamical interplay between a coherently driven Ti-O stretching vibration and multiple structural degrees of freedom, including antiferrodistortive rotations, strain, and the polar mode instability. In the high-temperature cubic phase, in the absence of average antiferrodistortion, time-resolved X-ray diffuse scattering has evidenced a correlation between a photo-induced reduction in antiferrodistortive fluctuations and the emergence of ferroelectric order. Here, we complement these measurements with time-resolved elastic X-ray diffraction in the low-temperature tetragonal phase, in which antiferrodistortive fluctuations are small but a finite average rotation has set in. In this phase, we observe a long-lived reduction of the equilibrium antiferrodistortive rotation angle. A unified theory of the nonlinear lattice dynamics based on first-principles calculations describes the dynamics in both high-temperature cubic and low-temperature tetragonal phases, providing a basis for light-induced ferroelectricity in SrTiO$_3$.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Uncovering Temperature-Dependent Exciton-Polariton Relaxation Mechanisms in Perovskites

State-of-the-art hybrid perovskites have demonstrated excellent functionality in photovoltaics and light-emitting applications, and have emerged as a promising candidate for exciton-polariton (polariton) optoelectronics. In the strong coupling regime, polariton formation and Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) have been demonstrated at room-temperature in several perovskite formulations. Thermodynamically, low-threshold BEC requires efficient scattering to $k_{||}$ = 0, and many applications demand precise control of polariton interactions. Thus far, the primary mechanisms by which polaritons relax in perovskites remains unclear. In this work, we perform temperature-dependent measurements of polaritons in low-dimensional hybrid perovskites with high light-matter coupling strengths ($\hbar \Omega_{Rabi}$ = 260$\pm$5 meV). By embedding the perovskite active layer in a wedged cavity, we are able to tune the Hopfield coefficients and decouple the primary polariton relaxation mechanisms in this material for the first time. We observe the thermal activation of a bottleneck regime, and reveal that this effect can be overcome by harnessing intrinsic scattering mechanisms arising from the interplay between the different excitonic species, such as biexciton-assisted polariton relaxation pathways, and isoenergetic intracavity pumping. We demonstrate the dependence of the bottleneck suppression on cavity detuning, and are able to achieve efficient relaxation to $k_{||}$ = 0 even at cryogenic temperatures. This new understanding contributes to the design of ultra-low-threshold BEC and condensate control by engineering polariton dispersions resonant with efficient relaxation pathways, leveraging intrinsic material scattering mechanisms for next-generation polariton optoelectronics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Scientific Opportunities with an X-ray Free-Electron Laser Oscillator

An X-ray free-electron laser oscillator (XFELO) is a new type of hard X-ray source that would produce fully coherent pulses with meV bandwidth and stable intensity. The XFELO complements existing sources based on self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) from high-gain X-ray free-electron lasers (XFEL) that produce ultra-short pulses with broad-band chaotic spectra. This report is based on discussions of scientific opportunities enabled by an XFELO during a workshop held at SLAC on June 29 - July 1, 2016

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

THz-frequency cavity magnon-phonon-polaritons in the strong coupling regime

We demonstrate the strong coupling of both magnons and phonons to terahertz (THz) frequency electromagnetic (EM) waves confined to a photonic crystal (PhC) cavity. Our cavity consists of a two-dimensional array of air-holes cut into a hybrid slab of ferroelectric lithium niobate (LiNbO$_3$) and erbium orthoferrite (ErFeO$_3$), a canted antiferromagnetic crystal. The phonons in LiNbO$_3$ and the magnons in ErFeO$_3$ are strongly coupled to the electric and magnetic field components of the confined EM wave, respectively. This leads to the formation of new cavity magnon-phonon-polariton modes, which we experimentally observe as a normal-mode splitting in the frequency spectrum and an avoided crossing in the temperature-frequency plot. The cavity also has a mode volume of $V=3.4\times10^{-3}\lambda^3\simeq0.5(\lambda/n)^3$ $\mu$m$^3$ and can achieve a Q-factor as high as 1000. These factors facilitate the pursuit of the fields of THz cavity spintronics and quantum electrodynamics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2007

Toward Full Spatio-Temporal Control on the Nanoscale

We introduce an approach to implement full coherent control on nanometer length scales. It is based on spatio-temporal modulation of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) fields at the thick edge of a nanowedge. The SPP wavepackets propagating toward the sharp edge of this nanowedge are compressed and adiabatically concentrated at a nanofocus, forming an ultrashort pulse of local fields. The one-dimensional spatial profile and temporal waveform of this pulse are completely coherently controlled.

physics.optics↗