Femtosecond optical and x-ray measurement of the semiconductor-to-metal transition in VO/sub 2/

Summary form only given. The dynamics of phase transformations in condensed phases have been intensely investigated for decades. While the use of ultrashort visible pulses has allowed measurement of ultrafast changes in the optical properties, the correlation between atomic movement and changes in the electronic properties of materials has proven more elusive. Ultrafast X-ray diffraction provides a direct way to retrieve lattice dynamics. Here, we report on the conjunct measurement of ultrafast electronic and structural dynamics during a semiconductor-to-metal phase transition in VO/sub 2/, where rearrangement of the unit cell from monoclinic to rutile is accompanied by a sharp increase in the electrical conductivity.