Electron pressure drives THz phonons in metal-metal superlattices

Electron pressure drives THz phonons in metal-metal superlattices | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Electron pressure drives THz phonons in metal-metal superlattices Matias Bargheer, Jan-Etienne Pudell, M. Herzog, Maximilian Mattern, and 11 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6597328/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Light controlled strain engineering of functional quantum materials and modulation of materials at THz frequencies are two formidable challenges of nanotechnology. Cheap and robust metal-metal superlattices, where periodic repetitions of bilayers - each layer a few atoms thick - are deposited by simple sputtering, constitute thermoacoustic meta-materials. These meta-materials are largely underexplored, because the free electrons in metals are thought to delocalize even beyond the optical penetration depth. We use ultrafast X-ray diffraction to prove that in Pt/Cu SLs, the energy of optically excited electrons is rapidly localized in the Pt layers, faster than the electron-phonon coupling. The energy of the hot electron gas is confined to a few nm in Pt, although it is in direct contact with Cu. The concomitant ultrafast electron pressure drives coherent THz strain waves with a giant 1$%$ lattice deformation. The frequency can be tailored by the sputtered SL structure, enabling new schemes of ultrafast strain-mediated resonant nano-(spin)-electronics. Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Other photonics/Photoacoustics Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed-matter physics Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Metamaterials Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6597328","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":460477857,"identity":"558f1ceb-110e-4cf6-bda6-64959a44ac1c","order_by":0,"name":"Matias Bargheer","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABBUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAyBmBjH4gfgARCwBiNmI0CLZANEiQbwWA6gVhLWYs599/Lqgwibf+EbuwQOMO2zq5NuTn25gKLPBqcWyJ93MesaZNMttN/ISDjCeSZMwOPPM7AbDuTTcDjuQxmbM23bYwOxGjsHhv22HJQwkEsxuMLYdxq3l/DOgln//DYxn5BgcAKqUkJ+R/g2o5T9uLTfSmB/zNhwwMJCAamG4kQOy5QBuv8x4xsbMcyzZQOLMGwOQXyQ3nHlTdiPhXDJOLeb8acyfeWrsDPjbc4w/AEOMX749fduND2V2OLUAAZsEnMnYAGUk4NMAjMkPmFpGwSgYBaNgFCABAC4nV/WfvWW7AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0952-6602","institution":"University of Potsdam","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Matias","middleName":"","lastName":"Bargheer","suffix":""},{"id":460477858,"identity":"6295d38e-bcdb-4491-969c-852547413a94","order_by":1,"name":"Jan-Etienne Pudell","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8268-444X","institution":"European X-Ray Free Electron Laser","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jan-Etienne","middleName":"","lastName":"Pudell","suffix":""},{"id":460477859,"identity":"60534c21-6b5a-4041-be08-4626e6064e1d","order_by":2,"name":"M. 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