Fabrizio Carbone: Ultrafast Spectroscopic Electron Diffraction (USED)
© 2010 EPFL
The excellence of the research performed at EPFL has once again been recognized at an international level. Fabrizio Carbone has received a STARTING GRANT 2010 from the European Research Council (ERC).
Ultrafast Spectroscopic Electron Diffraction (USED) of quantum solids and thin films
Time-resolved electron diffraction and energy loss spectroscopy are unique tools for providing information on the dynamics of chemical bonds and the electronic structure of solids, nano-sized materials, molecules and atomically thin layers, thanks to the high cross section for interaction between electron and matter. Femtosecond lasers are used to generate ultrashort light and electron pulses. Light initiates a process in the sample – a phase transition, an electronic excitation or simply a temperature jump – and by recording snapshots of the diffraction pattern and the velocity distribution of electrons interacting with the sample in a stroboscopic fashion, one can image the photoinduced changes of the electronic structure and lattice. Here we propose a new experimental configuration, ultrafast spectroscopic diffraction, in which by energy filtering selected Bragg diffraction peaks information will be obtained on orbitals and lattice dynamics. We will apply this technique to: i) The dynamics of quantum solids, helium thin films on graphite and Wigner crystals, ii) the structural dynamics of organic low-dimensional systems iii) the pairing mechanism in high temperature superconductors and its relation to the chemistry of the material.
Max ERC funding: 1.46 million Euros
Duration: 60 months
Host institution: EPFL
Project acronym: USED
Domain: Physical and Engineering Sciences