Ordering Phenomena in Transition Metal Oxides

Ultrafast Optical Control in Highly Correlated Electron Systems   

In this talk I will report on our recent progress in the quest to control quantum phases in complex solids with light.  A key advancement has been the use of coherent THz radiation to selectively excite individual vibrational modes in insulating manganites and stimulate the formation of transient metallic phases. I will also discuss the use of ultrafast x-ray diffraction to measure the coherent motion of atoms in a light field, the use ultrafast soft x-ray absorption to probe the rearrangement of the relevant electronic states and the new technique of ultrafast x-ray holography, which promises new insight into the ultrafast detection of mesoscopic dynamics.