title: Heterogeneous nucleation and growth dynamics in the light-induced phase transition in vanadium dioxide.
abstract: We report on ultrafast optical investigations of the light-induced insulator-to-metal phase transition in vanadium dioxide with controlled disorder generated by substrate mismatch. These results reveal common dynamics of this optically-induced phase transition that are independent of this disorder. Above the fluence threshold for completing the transition to the rutile crystalline phase, we find a common time scale, independent of sample morphology, of 40.5 ± 2 ps that is consistent with nucleation and growth dynamics of the R phase from the parent M1 ground state.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
authors.forename: Nathaniel F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Brady
authors.forename: Kannatassen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Appavoo
authors.forename: Minah
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Joyeeta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nag
authors.forename: Rohit P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Prasankumar
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Haglund
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hilton