Abstract
Squeezed states are quantum states of a harmonic oscillator in which the variance of two conjugate variables each oscillate out of phase. Ultrafast optical excitation of crystals can create squeezed phonon states, where the variance of the atomic displacements oscillates due to a sudden change in the interatomic bonding strength. With femtosecond x-ray diffraction we measure squeezing oscillations in bismuth and conclude that they are consistent with a model in which electronic excitation softens all phonon modes by a constant scaling factor.
- Received 13 December 2008
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.175503
©2009 American Physical Society
Viewpoint
Squeezing more out of ultrafast x-ray measurements
Published 27 April 2009
The observation of squeezed phonons by x-ray diffraction allows researchers to study the interactions between ultrafast lasers and matter in a whole new light.
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