Probing photoinduced phase transition in a charge-transfer molecular crystal by 100 picosecond X-ray diffraction

Watching with an atomic resolution at structural changes as fast or ultra-fast photoinduced physical processes take place benefits from recent progresses in time-resolved X-ray diffraction. Molecular materials where electronic and structural changes are strongly coupled are model systems to perform such time-resolved crystallography studies. We report the structural investigation of photoinduced phase transformations between ionic and neutral states in an organic charge-transfer molecular material, using 100 picosecond (ps) synchrotron pulses. This light-induced phenomenon, triggered by an ultra-short optical pulse from a femtosecond laser, occurs by virtue of intrinsic cooperativity. Since electronic and structural changes are strongly coupled, it is of fundamental interest to perform time-resolved X-ray diffraction to obtain information at the atomic scale. We also discuss the problem of coexistence of phases and the interest of future investigations in faster timescale. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.