Kinetics of a Phonon-Mediated Laser-Driven Structural Phase Transition in Sn2P2Se6

We investigate the structural dynamics of the incommensurately modulated phase of Sn 2 P 2 Se 6 by means of time-resolved X-ray diffraction following excitation by an optical pump. Tracking the incommensurable distortion in the time domain enables us to identify the transport effects leading to a complete disappearance of the incommensurate phase over the course of 100 ns. These observations suggest that a thin surface layer of the high-temperature phase forms quickly after photo-excitation and then propagates into the material with a constant velocity of 3.7 m/s. Complementary static structural measurements reveal previously unreported higher-order satellite reflection in the incommensurate phase. These higher-order reflections are attributed to cubic vibrational terms in the Hamiltonian.