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Hill, J. P.

Publications and source records attributed to Hill, J. P..

Ultrafast dynamics of spin and orbital correlations in quantum materials: an energy- and momentum-resolved perspective

Many remarkable properties of quantum materials emerge from states with intricate coupling between the charge, spin and orbital degrees of freedom. Ultrafast photo-excitations of these materials hold great promise for understanding and controlling the properties of these states. Here we introduce time-resolved resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (tr-RIXS) as a means of measuring the charge, spin and orbital excitations out of equilibrium. These excitations encode the correlations and interactions that determine the detailed properties of the states generated. After outlining the basic principles and instrumentation of tr-RIXS, we review our first observations of transient antiferromagnetic correlations in quasi two dimensions in a photo-excited Mott insulator and present possible future routes of this fast-developing technique. The increasing number of X-ray free electron laser facilities not only enables tackling long-standing fundamental scientific problems, but also promises to unleash novel inelastic X-ray scattering spectroscopies.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Doping dependence of the magnetic excitations in La 2 - x Sr x CuO 4

The magnetic correlations within the cuprates have undergone intense scrutiny as part of efforts to understand high-temperature superconductivity. We explore the evolution of the magnetic correlations along the nodal direction of the Brillouin zone in La 2–x Sr x CuO 4 , spanning the doping phase diagram from the antiferromagnetic Mott insulator at x = 0 to the metallic phase at x = 0.26. Magnetic excitations along this direction are found to be systematically softened and broadened with doping, at a higher rate than the excitations along the antinodal direction. This phenomenology is discussed in terms of the nature of the magnetism in the doped cuprates. As a result, survival of the high-energy magnetic excitations, even in the overdoped regime, indicates that these excitations are marginal to pairing, while the influence of the low-energy excitations remains ambiguous.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Strongly gapped spin-wave excitation in the insulating phase of NaOsO 3

NaOsO 3 hosts a rare manifestation of a metal-insulator transition driven by magnetic correlations, placing the magnetic exchange interactions in a central role. We use resonant inelastic x-ray scattering to directly probe these magnetic exchange interactions. A dispersive and strongly gapped (58 meV) excitation is observed indicating appreciable spin-orbit coupling in this 5d 3 system. The excitation is well described within a minimal model Hamiltonian with strong anisotropy and Heisenberg exchange (J 1 = J 2 = 13.9 meV). As a result, the observed behavior places NaOsO 3 on the boundary between localized and itinerant magnetism.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Restoring interlayer Josephson coupling in La 1.885 Ba 0.115 CuO 4 by charge transfer melting of stripe order

Here, we show that disruption of charge-density-wave (stripe) order by charge transfer excitation, enhances the superconducting phase rigidity in La 1.885 Ba 0.115 CuO 4 . Time-resolved resonant soft x-ray diffraction demonstrates that charge order melting is prompt following near-infrared photoexcitation whereas the crystal structure remains intact for moderate fluences. THz time-domain spectroscopy reveals that, for the first 2 ps following photoexcitation, a new Josephson plasma resonance edge, at higher frequency with respect to the equilibrium edge, is induced indicating enhanced superconducting interlayer coupling. Furthermore, the fluence dependence of the charge-order melting and the enhanced superconducting interlayer coupling are correlated with a saturation limit of ~0.5mJ/cm 2 . When using a combination of x-ray and optical spectroscopies we establish a hierarchy of timescales between enhanced superconductivity, melting of charge order, and rearrangement of the crystal structure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Anisotropic softening of magnetic excitations in lightly electron-doped Sr 2 IrO 4

The magnetic excitations in electron doped (Sr 1-x La x ) 2 IrO 4 with x = 0:03 were measured using resonant inelastic X-ray scattering at the Ir L3-edge. Although much broadened, well defined dispersive magnetic excitations were observed. Comparing with the magnetic dispersion from the undoped compound, the evolution of the magnetic excitations upon doping is highly anisotropic. Along the anti-nodal direction, the dispersion is almost intact. On the other hand, the magnetic excitations along the nodal direction show significant softening. These results establish the presence of strong magnetic correlations in electron doped (Sr 1-x Lax) 2 IrO 4 with close analogies to the hole doped cuprates, further motivating the search for high temperature superconductivity in this system.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Ultrafast energy- and momentum-resolved dynamics of magnetic correlations in the photo-doped Mott insulator Sr 2 IrO 4

Measuring how the magnetic correlations evolve in doped Mott insulators has greatly improved our understanding of the pseudogap, non-Fermi liquids and high-temperature superconductivity 1, 2, 3, 4 . Recently, photo-excitation has been used to induce similarly exotic states transiently 5, 6, 7 . However, the lack of available probes of magnetic correlations in the time domain hinders our understanding of these photo-induced states and how they could be controlled. Here, we implement magnetic resonant inelastic X-ray scattering at a free-electron laser to directly determine the magnetic dynamics after photo-doping the Mott insulator Sr 2 IrO 4 . We find that the non-equilibrium state, 2 ps after the excitation, exhibits strongly suppressed long-range magnetic order, but hosts photo-carriers that induce strong, non-thermal magnetic correlations. These two-dimensional (2D) in-plane Néel correlations recover within a few picoseconds, whereas the three-dimensional (3D) long-range magnetic order restores on a fluence-dependent timescale of a few hundred picoseconds. In conclusion, the marked difference in these two timescales implies that the dimensionality of magnetic correlations is vital for our understanding of ultrafast magnetic dynamics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Alternatives for jet engine control

The development of models of tensor type for a digital simulation of the quiet, clean safe engine (QCSE) gas turbine engine; the extension, to nonlinear multivariate control system design, of the concepts of total synthesis which trace their roots back to certain early investigations under this grant; the role of series descriptions as they relate to questions of scheduling in the control of gas turbine engines; the development of computer-aided design software for tensor modeling calculations; further enhancement of the softwares for linear total synthesis, mentioned above; and calculation of the first known examples using tensors for nonlinear feedback control are discussed.

Sain, M. K.↗