title: Time-resolved structural dynamics of thin metal films heated with femtosecond optical pulses.
abstract: We utilize 100 fs optical pulses to induce ultrafast disorder of 35- to 150-nm thick single Au(111) crystals and observe the subsequent structural evolution using 0.6-ps, 8.04-keV X-ray pulses. Monitoring the picosecond time-dependent modulation of the X-ray diffraction intensity, width, and shift, we have measured directly electron/phonon coupling, phonon/lattice interaction, and a histogram of the lattice disorder evolution, such as lattice breath due to a pressure wave propagating at sonic velocity, lattice melting, and recrystallization, including mosaic formation. Results of theoretical simulations agree and support the experimental data of the lattice/liquid phase transition process. These time-resolved X-ray diffraction data provide a detailed description of all the significant processes induced by ultrafast laser pulses impinging on thin metallic single crystals.
authors: Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (Ministry of Education) and Department of Physics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China. jiec@sjtu.edu.cn
authors: Jie
authors: J
authors: Chen
authors: Wei-Kan
authors: WK
authors: Chen
authors: Jau
authors: J
authors: Tang
authors: Peter M
authors: PM
authors: Rentzepis
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D003460:Crystallization; D004583:Electrons; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007834:Lasers; D008956:Models, Chemical; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D044367:Phase Transition; D060739:Phonons; D013997:Time Factors; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D006046:Gold