DOE OSTI · 3374929
Electron-ion equilibration in superheated gold
Abstract
Electron-ion equilibration dynamics in samples driven into superheated states with multi-eV electron temperatures represent a fundamental process in nonequilibrium physics. A clear picture of the evolving ion temperature is essential for understanding the strength of the electron-ion coupling. However, direct, model-independent measurements of the ion temperature in laser-irradiated samples have remained experimentally elusive. Using inelastic X-ray scattering with meV-resolution in gold samples, the ion response to ultrafast heating by the hot electrons can be resolved, quantifying the electron-ion equilibration dynamics. We report measurements revealing a strongly enhanced energy transfer rate compared to that in weakly excited gold. Moreover, we obtain a quasi-constant electron-ion coupling at the highly elevated electron temperatures. These results place new constraints on electron-ion energy transfer in warm dense matter and establish a path toward quantitative benchmarking of models for nonequilibrium dynamics.
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Griffin, Travis D. [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States); European XFEL, Schenefeld (Germany)] (ORCID:0009000794474301), Gericke, Dirk O. [Univ. of Warwick, Coventry (United Kingdom)] (ORCID:0000000167979004), Haden, Daniel [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States)], Lee, Hae Ja [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000240355637), Galtier, Eric [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)] (ORCID:000000020396285X), Cunningham, Eric [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000209764416), Khaghani, Dimitri [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000251392310), Larsen, Michael [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States)], Wollenweber, Lennart [European XFEL, Schenefeld (Germany)], Armentrout, Ben [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)], Convery, Carson [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States); Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)], Appel, Karen [European XFEL, Schenefeld (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000229022102), Dyer, Gilliss [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000197559780), Fletcher, Luke B. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000271207194), Göde, Sebastian [European XFEL, Schenefeld (Germany)], Hastings, J. B. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)], Iratcabal, Jeremy [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States)] (ORCID:0000000196758980), McBride, Emma E. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States); Queen's Univ., Belfast, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom)] (ORCID:0000000288216126), Molina, Jacob [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States); Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)], Monaco, Giulio [Univ. of Padova (Italy)] (ORCID:0000000324976422), Morrison, Landon [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States); Univ. of Oxford (United Kingdom)] (ORCID:0009000303549082), Stramel, Hunter [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States)], Yunus, Sameen [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States)], Zastrau, Ulf [European XFEL, Schenefeld (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000235754449), Glenzer, Siegfried H. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000191120558), Gregori, Gianluca [Univ. of Oxford (United Kingdom)] (ORCID:0000000241530628), Nagler, Bob [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000257367842), White, Thomas G. [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States)] (ORCID:0000000238654240). 2026-06-18. Electron-ion equilibration in superheated gold. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74346-9
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