arXiv subjects

Victor Tkachenko

Publications and source records attributed to Victor Tkachenko.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Electronic mechanism of sub-100-fs demagnetization induced by a femtosecond light pulse

A quantitative understanding of the processes that trigger light-induced demagnetization on ultrashort timescales is crucial for achieving an ultrafast, radiation-controlled magnetic response in materials. This milestone is essential for developing next-generation magnetic storage devices and ultrafast magnetic switches. In this theoretical study, we investigated demagnetization triggered in a single magnetic domain by light pulses ranging from a few to a few tens of femtoseconds in duration, with photon energies spanning the optical and X-ray regimes, under strongly non-equilibrium conditions. We predicted a loss of magnetization in the sub-100-fs range in all cases, primarily due to the excitation of the electronic system and the subsequent redistribution of electrons within the magneto-sensitive band. The considered timescales were too short for phonon-mediated processes or inter-site Heisenberg exchange processes to contribute significantly. These findings pave the way for highly accurate, radiation-driven magnetization control in magnetic materials at sub-100-femtosecond timescales with potential practical applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Exploring x-ray irradiation conditions for triggering ultrafast diamond graphitization

Intense femtosecond x-ray pulses produced by an x-ray free-electron laser can trigger irreversible structural transitions in crystalline solids. For instance, irradiation of diamond can lead to graphitization and, at higher deposited doses, to amorphization. Our Monte Carlo simulations of irradiated diamond under realistic experimental conditions demonstrate that triggering graphitization or other phase transitions with hard x-ray photons can be challenging due to the ballistic escape of photoelectrons out of the beam focus. Decisive parameter here is the photoelectron range in proportion to the focal beam size. For future experiments on x-ray-induced transitions, such dedicated simulations of ballistic transport preceding the beamtime will be necessary. They can predict experimental conditions under which the desired distribution of the absorbed x-ray dose in the irradiated solid can be achieved.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Interplay of thermal and non-thermal effects in x-ray-induced ultrafast melting

X-ray laser-induced structural changes in silicon undergoing femtosecond melting have been investigated by using an x-ray pump-x-ray probe technique. The experimental results for different initial sample temperatures reveal that the onset time and the speed of the atomic disordering are independent of the initial temperature, suggesting that equilibrium atomic motion in the initial state does not play a pivotal role in the x-ray-induced ultrafast melting. By comparing the observed time-dependence of the atomic disordering and the dedicated theoretical simulations, we interpret that the energy transfer from the excited electrons to ions via electron-ion coupling (thermal effect) as well as a strong modification of the interatomic potential due to electron excitations (non-thermal effect) trigger the ultrafast atomic disordering. Our finding of the interplay of thermal and non-thermal effects in the x-ray-induced melting demonstrates that accurate modeling of intense x-ray interactions with matter is essential to ensure a correct interpretation of experiments using intense x-ray laser pulses.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2023

Ultrafast demagnetization in bulk nickel induced by X-ray photons tuned to Ni $M_{3}$ and $L_3$ absorption edges

Studies of light-induced demagnetization started with the experiment performed by Beaupaire et al. on nickel. Here, we present theoretical predictions for X-ray induced demagnetization of nickel, with X-ray photon energies tuned to its $M_3$ and $L_3$ absorption edges. We show that the specific feature in the density of states of the d-band of Ni, a sharp peak located just above the Fermi level, strongly influences the change of the predicted magnetic signal, making it stronger than in the previously studied case of cobalt. We believe that this finding will inspire future experiments on magnetic processes in X-ray irradiated nickel.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Femtosecond reduction of atomic scattering factors triggered by intense x-ray pulse

X-ray diffraction of silicon irradiated with tightly focused femtosecond x-ray pulses (photon energy: 11.5 keV, pulse duration: 6 fs) was measured at various x-ray intensities up to $4.6\times10^{19}$ W/cm$^2$. The measurement reveals that the diffraction intensity is highly suppressed when the x-ray intensity reaches of the order of $10^{19}$ W/cm$^2$. With a dedicated simulation, we confirm the observed reduction of the diffraction intensity is attributed to the femtosecond change in individual atomic scattering factors due to the ultrafast creation of highly ionized atoms through photoionization, Auger decay, and subsequent collisional ionization. We anticipate that this ultrafast reduction of atomic scattering factor will be a basis for new x-ray nonlinear techniques, such as pulse shortening and contrast variation x-ray scattering.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2022

Electronic processes occurring during ultrafast demagnetization of cobalt triggered by X-ray photons tuned to Co L$_3$ resonance

Magnetization dynamics triggered with ultrashort laser pulses has been attracting significant attention, with strong focus on the dynamics excited by VIS/NIR pulses. Only recently, strong magnetic response in solid materials induced by intense X-ray pulses from free-electron lasers (FELs) has been observed. The exact mechanisms that trigger the X-ray induced demagnetization are not yet fully understood. They are subject of on-going experimental and theoretical investigations. Here, we present a theoretical analysis of electronic processes occurring during demagnetization of Co multilayer system irradiated by X-ray pulses tuned to L$_3$-absorption edge of cobalt. We show that, similarly as in the case of X-ray induced demagnetization at M-edge of Co, electronic processes play a predominant role in the demagnetization until the pulse fluence does not exceed the structural damage threshold. The impact of electronic processes can reasonably well explain the available experimental data, without a need to introduce the mechanism of stimulated elastic forward scattering.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Delayed onset and directionality of x-ray-induced atomic displacements observed on subatomic length scales

Transient structural changes of Al$_2$O$_3$ on subatomic length scales following irradiation with an intense x-ray laser pulse (photon energy: 8.70 keV; pulse duration: 6 fs; fluence: 8$\times$10$^2$ J/cm$^{2}$) have been investigated by using an x-ray pump x-ray probe technique. The measurement reveals that aluminum and oxygen atoms remain in their original positions by $\sim$20 fs after the intensity maximum of the pump pulse, followed by directional atomic displacements at the fixed unit cell parameters. By comparing the experimental results and theoretical simulations, we interpret that electron excitation and relaxation triggered by the pump pulse modifies the potential energy surface and drives the directional atomic displacements. Our results indicate that high-resolution x-ray structural analysis with the accuracy of 0.01 \AA is feasible even with intense x-ray pulses by making the pulse duration shorter than the timescale needed to complete electron excitation and relaxation processes, which usually take up to a few tens of femtoseconds.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Electron-ion coupling in semiconductors beyond Fermi's golden rule

In the present work, a theoretical study of electron-phonon (electron-ion) coupling rates in semiconductors driven out of equilibrium is performed. Transient change of optical coefficients reflects the band gap shrinkage in covalently bonded materials, and thus, the heating of atomic lattice. Utilizing this dependence, we test various models of electron-ion coupling. The simulation technique is based on tight-binding molecular dynamics. Our simulations with the dedicated hybrid approach (XTANT) indicate that the widely used Fermi's golden rule can break down describing material excitation on femtosecond time scales. In contrast, dynamical coupling proposed in this work yields a reasonably good agreement of simulation results with available experimental data.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Soft x-rays induce femtosecond solid-to-solid phase transition

Soft x-rays were applied to induce graphitization of diamond through a non-thermal solid-to-solid phase transition. This process was observed within poly-crystalline diamond with a time-resolved experiment using ultrashort soft x-ray pulses of duration 52.5 fs and cross correlated by an optical pulse of duration 32.8 fs. This scheme enabled for the first time the measurement of a phase transition on a timescale of ~150 fs. Excellent agreement between experiment and theoretical predictions was found, using a dedicated code that followed the non-equilibrium evolution of the irradiated diamond including all transient electronic and structural changes. These observations confirm that soft x-rays can induce a non-thermal ultrafast solid-to-solid phase transition on a hundred femtosecond timescale.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2015

Time-resolved observation of band-gap shrinking and electron-lattice thermalization within X-ray excited gallium arsenide

Femtosecond X-ray irradiation of solids excites energetic photoelectrons that thermalize on a timescale of a few hundred femtoseconds. The thermalized electrons exchange energy with the lattice and heat it up. Experiments with X-ray free-electron lasers have unveiled so far the details of the electronic thermalization. In this work we show that the data on transient optical reflectivity measured in GaAs irradiated with femtosecond X-ray pulses can be used to follow electron-lattice relaxation up to a few tens of picoseconds. With a dedicated theoretical framework, we explain the so far unexplained reflectivity overshooting as a result of band-gap shrinking. We also obtain predictions for a timescale of electron-lattice thermalization, initiated by conduction band electrons in the temperature regime of a few eVs. The conduction and valence band carriers were then strongly non-isothermal. The presented scheme is of general applicability and can stimulate further studies of relaxation within X-ray excited narrow band-gap semiconductors.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗