Abstract
We present studies of the photoexcited quasiparticle dynamics in where, using femtosecond optical techniques, Cooper pair-breaking dynamics (PBD) have been temporally resolved for the first time. The PBD are strongly temperature and photoexcitation intensity dependent. Analysis of the PBD using the Rothwarf-Taylor equations suggests that the anomalous PBD arises from the fact that in photoexcitation is initially followed by energy relaxation to high frequency phonons instead of, as commonly assumed, thermalization. Furthermore, the bare quasiparticle recombination rate and the probability for pair breaking by phonons have been determined.
- Received 16 May 2003
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.267002
©2003 American Physical Society