Transient heterogeneity of light-induced phase transition in VO 2
Low drift delivered by center-symmetric design of neaSCOPE + fs enables repeated nanoimaging of the same area at multiple time delays or frequencies . Powerful SDK allows for integration of existing OPA & OPO sources for extending pump-probe analysis of quantum materials to the nanoscale .
Reflectivity images l = 715 cm -1 l = 1000 cm -1
Grain boundaries
Metallicity map
Metal
VO 2
: ( 211 ) M1
VO 2
: ( 200 ) M1 Insulator
Steady-state s-SNOM nano-imaging near resonant energies of VO 2
‘ s IR-active phonon (~ 715 cm-1 ) exposed hidden preexisting disorder within its thin film ’ s monoclinic phase . Correlation of the resulting domain map with transient contrast at 1000 cm -1 due to light-induced dielectric-tometal phase transition ( imaged by IR-neaSCOPE + fs ) directly elucidated anchored heterogeneous nucleation of metallicity at rate 40 nm / ns originating from the grain boundaries . Such nanoanalysis could play a key role in establishing the local character of emergent phenomena in quantum materials undergoing light-induced phase transitions .
Time-resolved nanoscopy provides key insights into transient phase separation mk
A . Sternbach et al , Nano Lett . 2021 , 21 , 9052-60