Seminars Archive

When does an insulator become a metal?

Abstract
One of the great drivers for understanding the spectacular, yet complex properties of strongly correlated electron materials is the desire to ultimately transcend the use of semiconductor electronics. The need to establish speed limits for electronic switching is clearly important for technology. However, it also serves fundamental science: it enables us to disentangle competing interactions in the time domain. In this talk I will focus on the prototypical insulator-to-metal transition in magnetite (Fe3O4) and show how the combination of ultrafast THz spectroscopy and fs x-ray diffraction at the Linac Coherent Light Source can be used to unravel its mechanism. I will also show how intense THz pulses will ultimately allow us to address the feasibility of future oxide based electronics devices.