title: Unraveling the solid-liquid-vapor phase transition dynamics at the atomic level with ultrafast x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy.
abstract: X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) is a powerful probe of electronic and atomic structures in various media, ranging from molecules to condensed matter. We show how ultrafast time resolution opens new possibilities to investigate highly nonequilibrium states of matter including phase transitions. Based on a tabletop laser-plasma ultrafast x-ray source, we have performed a time-resolved (∼3  ps) XANES experiment that reveals the evolution of an aluminum foil at the atomic level, when undergoing ultrafast laser heating and ablation. X-ray absorption spectra highlight an ultrafast transition from the crystalline solid to the disordered liquid followed by a progressive transition of the delocalized valence electronic structure (metal) down to localized atomic orbitals (nonmetal-vapor), as the average distance between atoms increases.
authors.affiliation: Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), Talence, F-33405, France. dorchies@celia.u-bordeaux1.fr
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dorchies
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lévy
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Goyon
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Combis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Descamps
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fourment
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harmand
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hulin
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Leguay
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petit
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Peyrusse
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000737:chemistry; D044367:Phase Transition; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D056928:X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000535:Aluminum