arXiv subjects

M. Heber

Publications and source records attributed to M. Heber.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Ultrafast recovery dynamics of dimer stripes in IrTe2

The transition metal dichalcogenide IrTe2 displays a remarkable series of first-order phase transitions below room temperature, involving lattice displacements as large as 20 percents of the initial bond length. This is nowadays understood as the result of strong electron-phonon coupling leading to the formation of local multicentre dimers that arrange themselves into one-dimensional stripes. In this work, we study the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of these dimers and track the time evolution of their population following an infrared photoexcitation using free-electron lased-based time-resolved X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. First, we observe that the dissolution of dimers is driven by the transfer of energy from the electronic subsystem to the lattice subsystem, in agreement with previous studies. Second, we observe a surprisingly fast relaxation of the dimer population on the timescale of a few picoseconds. By comparing our results to published ultrafast electron diffraction and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy data, we reveal that the long-range order needs tens of picoseconds to recover, while the local dimer distortion recovers on a short timescale of a few picoseconds.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Anomalous 4$f$ fine structure in TmSe$_{1-x}$Te$_x$ across the metal-insulator transition

Hybridization between localized 4$f$ and itinerant 5$d$6$s$ states in heavy fermion compounds is a well-studied phenomenon and commonly captured by the paradigmatic Anderson model. However, the investigation of additional electronic interactions, beyond the standard Anderson model, has been limited, despite their predicted important role in the exotic quasiparticle formation in mixed-valence systems. We investigate the 4$f$ states in TmSe$_{1-x}$Te$_x$ throughout a semimetal-insulator phase transition, which drastically varies the interactions related to the 4$f$ states. Using synchrotron-based hard x-ray and extreme ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy, we resolve subtle peak splitting in the 4$f$ peaks near the Fermi level in the mixed-valent semimetal phase. The separation is enhanced by several tens of meV by increasing the lattice parameter by a few percent. Our results elucidate the evolving nature of the 4$f$ state across the phase transition, and provide direct experimental evidence for electronic interactions beyond the standard Anderson model in mixed-valence systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Multimode Objective Lens for Momentum Microscopy and XPEEM: Experiments

A new type of objective lens has recently been proposed for use in X-ray photoemission electron microscopes (XPEEMs) and momentum microscopes. Adding a ring electrode concentric with the extractor allows the field in the gap between the sample and the extractor to be shaped. Forming a lens field in this gap reduces the field strength at the sample by up to an order of magnitude. This mitigates the risk of field emission, particularly for cleaved samples with sharp edges. A retarding field can redirect all slow electrons, thus eliminating the primary contribution to the space-charge interaction. Here we present the first experimental investigation of the new lens, examining its performance at photon energies ranging from the extreme ultraviolet produced by a high-harmonic generation (HHG)-based source to soft and hard X-rays at two synchrotron facilities. The gap lens in a region without electrodes enables large working distances up to 23 mm. Reduced aberrations allow for larger fields of view in both k-space and real-space imaging, with resolutions comparable to those of conventional cathode lenses. However, field strengths are an order of magnitude smaller. The zero-field mode enables the study of 3D structured objects and is therefore beneficial for small cleaved samples as well as for operando devices involving top electrodes. The repeller mode reduces space-charge effects, but results in a smaller k-field diameter. This reduction ranges from 10% at hard X-ray energies to 50% in the XUV range. The usable energy interval is also reduced by a factor of two. In time-of-flight XPEEM mode the raw data show a resolution of 250 nm, which can be improved to better than 100 nm through data processing.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Ultrafast molecular orbital tomography of a pentacene thin film using time-resolved momentum microscopy at a free-electron laser

We use time-resolved momentum microscopy at a free-electron laser (FEL) and extend orbital tomography into the time domain to image the electronic wave functions of excited molecular orbitals. This technique provides unprecedented insight into the ultrafast interplay between structural and electronic dynamics. In this work we prove general applicability and establish the experimental conditions at FEL sources to minimize space charge effects and radiation damage. We investigate a bilayer pentacene film on Ag(110) by optical laser pump and FEL probe experiments. From the momentum microscopy signal, we obtain time-dependent momentum maps of the excited-state dynamics of both pentacene layers separately. Combining experimental observations with a theoretical study, we interpret the observed signal for the bottom layer as resulting from the charge redistribution between the molecule and the substrate induced by excitation. We identify that the dynamics of the top pentacene layer resembles excited-state molecular dynamics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

Wave-vector dependent intensity variations of the Kondo peak in photoemission from CePd$_3$

Strong angle-dependent intensity variations of the Fermi-level feature are observed in 4d - 4f resonant photoemission spectra of CePd$_3$(111), that reveal the periodicity of the lattice and largest intensity close to the Gamma points of the surface Brillouin zone. In the framework of a simplified periodic Anderson model the phenomena may quantitatively be described by a wave-vector dependence of the electron hopping matrix elements caused by Fermi-level crossings of non-4f-derived energy bands.

cond-mat.str-el↗