Structural dynamics of thin-film materials: achievements, problems, prospects

S.A. Aseyev^†^a, B.N. Mironov^‡^a, D.G. Poydashev^§^a, b, E.A. Ryabov^*^a, Z. Li^#^c, d, e, A.A. Ischenko^°^f
^aInstitute of Spectroscopy, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Fizicheskaya 5, Troitsk, Moscow, 108840, Russian Federation
^bHSE University, ul. Myasnitskaya 20, Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation
^cState Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China
^dCollaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
^ePeking University Yangtze Delta Institute of Optoelectronics, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
^fMIREA - Russian Technological University, prosp. Vernadskogo 78, Moscow, 119454, Russian Federation

The use of short photoelectron pulses has opened up the possibility of studying structural dynamics with high spatiotemporal resolution. Within the framework of this methodology, a pulsed electron beam formed due to the photoelectric effect provides probing of light-induced fast processes in matter at different moments in time. The integration of pico-femtosecond laser technology and electron optics in an experimental setup has proven to be extremely effective for observing the behavior of atomic-molecular structures at their natural scales in the spatiotemporal continuum. In imaging mode, this concept has led to the creation of 4D electron microscopy, and, in the electron diffraction mode, a unique opportunity has appeared to shoot atomic-molecular movies. The high sensitivity of the method in combination with relatively low radiation damage to the sample (in contrast to an X-ray free electron laser) has made it possible to study promising thin-film materials on compact setups in standard laboratories. The review examines the development of this scientific field from the study of nanosecond structural dynamics to femtosecond quantum tomography based on ultrafast electron diffraction.

Keywords: ultrafast electron microscopy and diffraction, dynamic processes, structural dynamics, atomic-molecular cinema, femtosecond time resolution, atomic spatial resolution, electron tomography
PACS: 07.78.+s, 61.05.J−, 64.70.D−, 64.70.K−, 68.37.Og (all)
DOI: 10.3367/UFNe.2024.12.039828
URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2025/7/a/
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2025PhyU...68..641A
Citation: Aseyev S A, Mironov B N, Poydashev D G, Ryabov E A, Li Z, Ischenko A A "Structural dynamics of thin-film materials: achievements, problems, prospects" Phys. Usp. 68 641–652 (2025)

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Received: 18th, October 2024, revised: 6th, December 2024, accepted: 24th, December 2024

Оригинал: Асеев С А, Миронов Б Н, Пойдашев Д Г, Рябов Е А, Ли Дж, Ищенко А А «Структурная динамика тонкоплёночных материалов: достижения, проблемы, перспективы» УФН 195 681–694 (2025); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.2024.12.039828

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