Seminar: Visualizing heterogeneity and phase competition in photo-induced phase transitions in quantum materials

In this talk, I would discuss how one can utilize the soft X-ray coherent diffractive imaging to get quantitative nanoscale spectroscopic information about the transient chemical states and heterogeneity of photoexcited insulator-to-metal phase transition in vanadium oxide (VO₂) thin films. Further, as a stepping stone toward quantitative 3D hard X-ray Bragg imaging of strain field, I would discuss the recent results obtained from ultrafast hard X-ray Bragg diffraction measurements of phase competition in photoexcited strain-engineered epitaxial thin films of VO₂.