An ultrafast symmetry switch in a Weyl semimetal.

Topological quantum materials exhibit fascinating properties1-3, with important applications for dissipationless electronics and fault-tolerant quantum computers4,5. Manipulating the topological invariants in these materials would allow the development of topological switching applications analogous to switching of transistors6. Lattice strain provides the most natural means of tuning these topological invariants because it directly modifies the electron-ion interactions and potentially alters the underlying crystalline symmetry on which the topological properties depend7-9. However, conventional means of applying strain through heteroepitaxial lattice mismatch10 and dislocations11 are not extendable to controllable time-varying protocols, which are required in transistors. Integration into a functional device requires the ability to go beyond the robust, topologically protected properties of materials and to manipulate the topology at high speeds. Here we use crystallographic measurements by relativistic electron diffraction to demonstrate that terahertz light pulses can be used to induce terahertz-frequency interlayer shear strain with large strain amplitude in the Weyl semimetal WTe2, leading to a topologically distinct metastable phase. Separate nonlinear optical measurements indicate that this transition is associated with a symmetry change to a centrosymmetric, topologically trivial phase. We further show that such shear strain provides an ultrafast, energy-efficient way of inducing robust, well separated Weyl points or of annihilating all Weyl points of opposite chirality. This work demonstrates possibilities for ultrafast manipulation of the topological properties of solids and for the development of a topological switch operating at terahertz frequencies.

Anisotropic Surface Broadening and Core Depletion during the Evolution of a Strong-Field Induced Nanoplasma.

Strong-field ionization of nanoscale clusters provides excellent opportunities to study the complex correlated electronic and nuclear dynamics of near-solid density plasmas. Yet, monitoring ultrafast, nanoscopic dynamics in real-time is challenging, which often complicates a direct comparison between theory and experiment. Here, near-infrared laser-induced plasma dynamics in ∼600 nm diameter helium droplets are studied by femtosecond time-resolved x-ray coherent diffractive imaging. An anisotropic, ∼20 nm wide surface region, defined as the range where the density lies between 10% and 90% of the core value, is established within ∼100 fs, in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions. At longer timescales, however, the width of this region remains largely constant while the radius of the dense plasma core shrinks at average rates of ≈71 nm/ps along and ≈33 nm/ps perpendicular to the laser polarization. These dynamics are not captured by previous plasma expansion models. The observations are phenomenologically described within a numerical simulation; details of the underlying physics, however, remain to be explored.

Advanced calculations of X-ray spectroscopies with FEFF10 and Corvus.

The real-space Green's function code FEFF has been extensively developed and used for calculations of X-ray and related spectra, including X-ray absorption (XAS), X-ray emission (XES), inelastic X-ray scattering, and electron energy-loss spectra. The code is particularly useful for the analysis and interpretation of the XAS fine-structure (EXAFS) and the near-edge structure (XANES) in materials throughout the periodic table. Nevertheless, many applications, such as non-equilibrium systems, and the analysis of ultra-fast pump-probe experiments, require extensions of the code including finite-temperature and auxiliary calculations of structure and vibrational properties. To enable these extensions, we have developed in tandem a new version FEFF10 and new FEFF-based workflows for the Corvus workflow manager, which allow users to easily augment the capabilities of FEFF10 via auxiliary codes. This coupling facilitates simplified input and automated calculations of spectra based on advanced theoretical techniques. The approach is illustrated with examples of high-temperature behavior, vibrational properties, many-body excitations in XAS, super-heavy materials, and fits of calculated spectra to experiment.

Corvus: a framework for interfacing scientific software for spectroscopic and materials science applications.

Corvus, a Python-based package designed for managing workflows of physical simulations that utilize multiple scientific software packages, is presented. Corvus can be run as an executable script with an input file and automatically generated or custom workflows, or interactively, in order to build custom workflows with a set of Corvus-specific tools. Several prototypical examples are presented that link density functional, vibrational and X-ray spectroscopy software packages and are of interest to the synchrotron community. These examples highlight the simplification of complex spectroscopy calculations that were previously limited to expert users, and demonstrate the flexibility of the Corvus infrastructure to tackle more general problems in other research areas.

Soft X-Ray Second Harmonic Generation as an Interfacial Probe.

Nonlinear optical processes at soft x-ray wavelengths have remained largely unexplored due to the lack of available light sources with the requisite intensity and coherence. Here we report the observation of soft x-ray second harmonic generation near the carbon K edge (∼284 eV) in graphite thin films generated by high intensity, coherent soft x-ray pulses at the FERMI free electron laser. Our experimental results and accompanying first-principles theoretical analysis highlight the effect of resonant enhancement above the carbon K edge and show the technique to be interfacially sensitive in a centrosymmetric sample with second harmonic intensity arising primarily from the first atomic layer at the open surface. This technique and the associated theoretical framework demonstrate the ability to selectively probe interfaces, including those that are buried, with elemental specificity, providing a new tool for a range of scientific problems.

The Formation Time of Ti-O• and Ti-O•-Ti Radicals at the n-SrTiO3/Aqueous Interface during Photocatalytic Water Oxidation.

The initial step of photocatalytic water oxidation reaction at the metal oxide/aqueous interface involves intermediates formed by trapping photogenerated, valence band holes on different reactive sites of the oxide surface. In SrTiO3, these one-electron intermediates are radicals located in Ti-O• (oxyl) and Ti-O•-Ti (bridge) groups arranged perpendicular and parallel to the surface respectively, and form electronic states in the band gap of SrTiO3. Using an ultrafast sub band gap probe of 400 nm and white light, we excited transitions between these radical states and the conduction band. By measuring the time evolution of surface reflectivity following the pump pulse of 266 nm light, we determined an initial radical formation time of 1.3 ± 0.2 ps, which is identical to the time to populate the surface with titanium oxyl (Ti-O•) radicals. The oxyl was separately observed by a subsurface vibration near 800 cm-1 from Ti-O located in the plane right below Ti-O•. Second, a polarized transition optical dipole allows us to assign the 1.3 ps time constant to the production of both O-site radicals. After a 4.5 ps delay, another distinct surface species forms with a time constant of 36 ± 10 ps with a yet undetermined structure. As would be expected, the radicals' decay, specifically probed by the oxyl's subsurface vibration, parallels that of the photocurrent. Our results led us to propose a nonadiabatic kinetic mechanism for generating radicals of the type Ti-O• and Ti-O•-Ti from valence band holes based on their solvation at aqueous interfaces.

Dissociation Dynamics and Electronic Structures of Highly Excited Ferrocenium Ions Studied by Femtosecond XUV Absorption Spectroscopy.

The dissociation dynamics of ferrocene are explored following strong field ionization using femtosecond time-resolved extreme ultraviolet (XUV) transient absorption spectroscopy. Employing transitions in the vicinity of the iron 3p (M2,3) edge, the dissociation is monitored from the point of view of the iron atom. With low strong field pump intensities (≈2 × 1013 W cm-2), only ferrocenium cations are produced, and their iron 3p absorption spectrum is reported. It very closely resembles the 3p spectrum of atomic Fe+ ions but is red-shifted by 0.8 eV. With the aid of time-dependent density functional theory calculations, the spectrum is assigned to a combination of doublet and quartet spin states of ferrocenium ions. Ionization with more intense strong field pump pulses (≥6 × 1013 W cm-2) leads predominantly to the prompt production of ferrocenium ions that dissociate to give the spectral signature of bare Fe+ ions within 240 ± 80 fs. Within the temporal resolution of the experiment (≈40 fs), no spectral intermediates are observed, suggesting that the dissociation process occurs directly from the excited ferrocenium ion and that the bonds between the iron center and both cyclopentadienyl rings are broken almost simultaneously in an asynchronous concerted decay process. No evidence of slower dissociation channels is observed at a pump-probe delay of 250 ps, suggesting that all energy is very rapidly routed into dissociative states.

Direct observation of ring-opening dynamics in strong-field ionized selenophene using femtosecond inner-shell absorption spectroscopy.

Femtosecond extreme ultraviolet transient absorption spectroscopy is used to explore strong-field ionization induced dynamics in selenophene (C4H4Se). The dynamics are monitored in real-time from the viewpoint of the Se atom by recording the temporal evolution of element-specific spectral features near the Se 3d inner-shell absorption edge (∼58 eV). The interpretation of the experimental results is supported by first-principles time-dependent density functional theory calculations. The experiments simultaneously capture the instantaneous population of stable molecular ions, the emergence and decay of excited cation states, and the appearance of atomic fragments. The experiments reveal, in particular, insight into the strong-field induced ring-opening dynamics in the selenophene cation, which are traced by the emergence of non-cyclic molecules as well as the liberation of Se+ ions within an overall time scale of approximately 170 fs. We propose that both products may be associated with dynamics on the same electronic surfaces but with different degrees of vibrational excitation. The time-dependent inner-shell absorption features provide direct evidence for a complex relaxation mechanism that may be approximated by a two-step model, whereby the initially prepared, excited cyclic cation decays within τ1 = 80 ± 30 fs into a transient molecular species, which then gives rise to the emergence of bare Se+ and ring-open cations within an additional τ2 = 80 ± 30 fs. The combined experimental and theoretical results suggest a close relationship between σ* excited cation states and the observed ring-opening reactions. The findings demonstrate that the combination of femtosecond time-resolved core-level spectroscopy with ab initio estimates of spectroscopic signatures provide new insights into complex, ultrafast photochemical reactions such as ring-opening dynamics in organic molecules in real-time and with simultaneous sensitivity for electronic and structural rearrangements.

Theory and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy for Aluminum Coordination Complexes ­ Al K-Edge Studies of Charge and Bonding in (BDI)Al, (BDI)AlR2, and (BDI)AlX2 Complexes.

Polarized aluminum K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and first-principles calculations were used to probe electronic structure in a series of (BDI)Al, (BDI)AlX2, and (BDI)AlR2 coordination compounds (X = F, Cl, I; R = H, Me; BDI = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl-ß-diketiminate). Spectral interpretations were guided by examination of the calculated transition energies and polarization-dependent oscillator strengths, which agreed well with the XANES spectroscopy measurements. Pre-edge features were assigned to transitions associated with the Al 3p orbitals involved in metal-ligand bonding. Qualitative trends in Al 1s core energy and valence orbital occupation were established through a systematic comparison of excited states derived from Al 3p orbitals with similar symmetries in a molecular orbital framework. These trends suggested that the higher transition energies observed for (BDI)AlX2 systems with more electronegative X(1-) ligands could be ascribed to a decrease in electron density around the aluminum atom, which causes an increase in the attractive potential of the Al nucleus and concomitant increase in the binding energy of the Al 1s core orbitals. For (BDI)Al and (BDI)AlH2 the experimental Al K-edge XANES spectra and spectra calculated using the eXcited electron and Core-Hole (XCH) approach had nearly identical energies for transitions to final state orbitals of similar composition and symmetry. These results implied that the charge distributions about the aluminum atoms in (BDI)Al and (BDI)AlH2 are similar relative to the (BDI)AlX2 and (BDI)AlMe2 compounds, despite having different formal oxidation states of +1 and +3, respectively. However, (BDI)Al was unique in that it exhibited a low-energy feature that was attributed to transitions into a low-lying p-orbital of b1 symmetry that is localized on Al and orthogonal to the (BDI)Al plane. The presence of this low-energy unoccupied molecular orbital on electron-rich (BDI)Al distinguishes its valence electronic structure from that of the formally trivalent compounds (BDI)AlX2 and (BDI)AlR2. The work shows that Al K-edge XANES spectroscopy can be used to provide valuable insight into electronic structure and reactivity relationships for main-group coordination compounds.

X-ray spectroscopy as a probe for lithium polysulfide radicals.

The discharge mechanism in lithium sulfur batteries is still unknown and has been purported to involve significant concentrations of polysulfide radicals. Methods capable of quantifying these species in solution are therefore of paramount importance to revealing electrochemical pathways. Here we utilize DFT based X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) simulations at the sulfur K-edge to obtain the spectra of polysulfide molecules in neutral, radical (-1) and dianionic (-2) charge states. Our calculations indicate that, contrary to recent propositions, the observed low energy, pre-edge feature in S K-edge XAS near 2470 eV is not exclusively due to radical species, but rather arises predominantly from core-excitations of terminal atoms, at the ends of linear polysulfides, to σ* orbitals, consistent with our previous results for the dianionic species. We do however find a spectral feature unique to radicals, lying 0.5-1 eV below the established pre-edge, that arises from 1s → π* transitions of the terminal atoms. Existing measurements on polysulfides show no evidence for such transitions. We predict that detection of linear radicals in polysulfide mixtures using XAS is limited to high mole fractions (>20%), due to the relatively weak XAS intensity of this π* feature.

Bonding and charge transfer in nitrogen-donor uranyl complexes: insights from NEXAFS spectra.

We investigate the electronic structure of three newly synthesized nitrogen-donor uranyl complexes [(UO2)(H2bbp)Cl2], [(UO)2(Hbbp)(Py)Cl], and [(UO2)(bbp)(Py)2] using a combination of near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy experiments and simulations. The complexes studied feature derivatives of the tunable tridentate N-donor ligand 2,6-bis(2-benzimidazyl)pyridine (bbp) and exhibit discrete chemical differences in uranyl coordination. The sensitivity of the N K-edge X-ray absorption spectrum to local bonding and charge transfer is exploited to systematically investigate the evolution of structural as well as electronic properties across the three complexes. A thorough interpretation of the measured experimental spectra is achieved via ab initio NEXAFS simulations based on the eXcited electron and Core-Hole (XCH) approach and enables the assignment of spectral features to electronic transitions on specific absorbing sites. We find that ligand-uranyl bonding leads to a signature blue shift in the N K-edge absorption onset, resulting from charge displacement toward the uranyl, while changes in the equatorial coordination shell of the uranyl lead to more subtle modulations in the spectral features. Theoretical simulations show that the flexible local chemistry at the nonbinding imidazole-N sites of the bbp ligand is also reflected in the NEXAFS spectra and highlights potential synthesis strategies to improve selectivity. In particular, we find that interactions of the bbp ligand with solvent molecules can lead to changes in ligand-uranyl binding geometry while also modulating the K-edge absorption. Our results suggest that NEXAFS spectroscopy combined with first-principles interpretation can offer insights into the coordination chemistry of analogous functionalized conjugated ligands.

Imaging the short-lived hydroxyl-hydronium pair in ionized liquid water.

The radiolysis of water is ubiquitous in nature and plays a critical role in numerous biochemical and technological applications. Although the elementary reaction pathways for ionized water have been studied, the short-lived intermediate complex and structural dynamic response after the proton transfer reaction remain poorly understood. Using a liquid-phase ultrafast electron diffraction technique to measure the intermolecular oxygen···oxygen and oxygen···hydrogen bonds, we captured the short-lived radical-cation complex OH(H3O+) that was formed within 140 femtoseconds through a direct oxygen···oxygen bond contraction and proton transfer, followed by the radical-cation pair dissociation and the subsequent structural relaxation of water within 250 femtoseconds. These measurements provide direct evidence of capturing this metastable radical-cation complex before separation, thereby improving our fundamental understanding of elementary reaction dynamics in ionized liquid water.

Probing ultrafast C-Br bond fission in the UV photochemistry of bromoform with core-to-valence transient absorption spectroscopy.

UV pump-extreme UV (XUV) probe femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy is used to study the 268 nm induced photodissociation dynamics of bromoform (CHBr3). Core-to-valence transitions at the Br(3d) absorption edge (∼70 eV) provide an atomic scale perspective of the reaction, sensitive to changes in the local valence electronic structure, with ultrafast time resolution. The XUV spectra track how the singly occupied molecular orbitals of transient electronic states develop throughout the C-Br bond fission, eventually forming radical Br and CHBr2 products. Complementary ab initio calculations of XUV spectral fingerprints are performed for transient atomic arrangements obtained from sampling excited-state molecular dynamics simulations. C-Br fission along an approximately C S symmetrical reaction pathway leads to a continuous change of electronic orbital characters and atomic arrangements. Two timescales dominate changes in the transient absorption spectra, reflecting the different characteristic motions of the light C and H atoms and the heavy Br atoms. Within the first 40 fs, distortion from C 3 v symmetry to form a quasiplanar CHBr2 by the displacement of the (light) CH moiety causes significant changes to the valence electronic structure. Displacement of the (heavy) Br atoms is delayed and requires up to ∼300 fs to form separate Br + CHBr2 products. We demonstrate that transitions between the valence-excited (initial) and valence + core-excited (final) state electronic configurations produced by XUV absorption are sensitive to the localization of valence orbitals during bond fission. The change in valence electron-core hole interaction provides a physical explanation for spectral shifts during the process of bond cleavage.

Femtosecond x-ray spectroscopy of an electrocyclic ring-opening reaction.

The ultrafast light-activated electrocyclic ring-opening reaction of 1,3-cyclohexadiene is a fundamental prototype of photochemical pericyclic reactions. Generally, these reactions are thought to proceed through an intermediate excited-state minimum (the so-called pericyclic minimum), which leads to isomerization via nonadiabatic relaxation to the ground state of the photoproduct. Here, we used femtosecond (fs) soft x-ray spectroscopy near the carbon K-edge (~284 electron volts) on a tabletop apparatus to directly reveal the valence electronic structure of this transient intermediate state. The core-to-valence spectroscopic signature of the pericyclic minimum observed in the experiment was characterized, in combination with time-dependent density functional theory calculations, to reveal overlap and mixing of the frontier valence orbital energy levels. We show that this transient valence electronic structure arises within 60 ± 20 fs after ultraviolet photoexcitation and decays with a time constant of 110 ± 60 fs.

Detecting the oxyl radical of photocatalytic water oxidation at an n-SrTiO3/aqueous interface through its subsurface vibration.

Although the water oxidation cycle involves the critical step of O-O bond formation, the transition metal oxide radical thought to be the catalytic intermediate for this step has eluded direct observation. The radical represents the transformation of charge into a nascent catalytic intermediate, which lacks a newly formed bond and is therefore inherently difficult to detect. Here, using theoretical calculations and ultrafast in situ infrared spectroscopy of photocatalysis at an n-SrTiO3/aqueous interface, we reveal a subsurface vibration of the oxygen directly below, and uniquely generated by, the oxyl radical (Ti-O(•)). Intriguingly, this interfacial Ti-O stretch vibration, once decoupled from the lattice, couples to reactant dynamics (water librations). These experiments demonstrate subsurface vibrations and their coupling to solvent and electron dynamics to detect nascent catalytic intermediates at the solid-liquid interface at the molecular level. One can envision using the subsurface vibrations and their coupling across the interface to track and control catalysis dynamically.

Ultrafast dynamics. Attosecond band-gap dynamics in silicon.

Electron transfer from valence to conduction band states in semiconductors is the basis of modern electronics. Here, attosecond extreme ultraviolet (XUV) spectroscopy is used to resolve this process in silicon in real time. Electrons injected into the conduction band by few-cycle laser pulses alter the silicon XUV absorption spectrum in sharp steps synchronized with the laser electric field oscillations. The observed ~450-attosecond step rise time provides an upper limit for the carrier-induced band-gap reduction and the electron-electron scattering time in the conduction band. This electronic response is separated from the subsequent band-gap modifications due to lattice motion, which occurs on a time scale of 60 ± 10 femtoseconds, characteristic of the fastest optical phonon. Quantum dynamical simulations interpret the carrier injection step as light-field-induced electron tunneling.

Spin-polarized transport through single-molecule magnet Mn6 complexes.

The coherent transport properties of a device, constructed by sandwiching a Mn6 single-molecule magnet between two gold surfaces, are studied theoretically by using the non-equilibrium Green's function approach combined with density functional theory. Two spin states of such Mn6 complexes are explored, namely the ferromagnetically coupled configuration of the six Mn(III) cations, leading to the S = 12 ground state, and the low S = 4 spin state. For voltages up to 1 volt the S = 12 ground state shows a current one order of magnitude larger than that of the S = 4 state. Furthermore this is almost completely spin-polarized, since the Mn6 frontier molecular orbitals for S = 12 belong to the same spin manifold. As such the high-anisotropy Mn6 molecule appears as a promising candidate for implementing, at the single molecular level, both spin-switches and low-temperature spin-valves.