TY - JOUR A1 - Giangrisostomi, Erika A1 - Ovsyannikov, Ruslan A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Zhang, Teng A1 - Lindblad, Andreas A1 - Sassa, Yasmine A1 - Cappel, Ute B. A1 - Leitner, Torsten A1 - Mitzner, Rolf A1 - Svensson, Svante A1 - Martensson, Nils A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander T1 - Low Dose Photoelectron Spectroscopy at BESSY II BT - electronic structure of matter in its native state JF - Journal of electron spectroscopy and related phenomena : the international journal on theoretical and experimental aspects of electron spectroscopy N2 - The implementation of a high-transmission, angular-resolved time-of-Right electron spectrometer with a 1.25 MHz pulse selector at the PM4 soft X-ray dipole beamline of the synchrotron BESSY II creates unique capabilities to inquire electronic structure via photoelectron spectroscopy with a minimum of radiation dose. Solid-state samples can be prepared and characterized with standard UHV techniques and rapidly transferred from various preparation chambers to a 4-axis temperature-controlled measurement stage. A synchronized MHz laser system enables excited-state characterization and dynamical studies starting from the picosecond timescale. This article introduces the principal characteristics of the PM4 beamline and LowDosePES end-station. Recent results from graphene, an organic hole transport material for solar cells and the transition metal dichalcogenide MoS2 are presented to demonstrate the instrument performances. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elspec.2017.05.011 SN - 0368-2048 SN - 1873-2526 VL - 224 SP - 68 EP - 78 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kühn, Danilo A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Giangrisostomi, Erika A1 - Jay, Raphael A1 - Musazay, Abdurrahman A1 - Ovsyannikov, Ruslan A1 - Strahlman, Christian A1 - Svensson, Svante A1 - Mårtensson, Nils A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander T1 - Capabilities of angle resolved time of flight electron spectroscopy with the 60 degrees wide angle acceptance lens JF - Journal of electron spectroscopy and related phenomena : the international journal on theoretical and experimental aspects of electron spectroscopy N2 - The simultaneous detection of energy, momentum and temporal information in electron spectroscopy is the key aspect to enhance the detection efficiency in order to broaden the range of scientific applications. Employing a novel 60 degrees wide angle acceptance lens system, based on an additional accelerating electron optical element, leads to a significant enhancement in transmission over the previously employed 30 degrees electron lenses. Due to the performance gain, optimized capabilities for time resolved electron spectroscopy and other high transmission applications with pulsed ionizing radiation have been obtained. The energy resolution and transmission have been determined experimentally utilizing BESSY II as a photon source. Four different and complementary lens modes have been characterized. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. KW - Artof KW - Electron spectroscopy KW - Wide angle KW - Time of flight KW - Energy resolution KW - Synchrotron Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elspec.2017.06.008 SN - 0368-2048 SN - 1873-2526 VL - 224 SP - 45 EP - 50 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pontius, Niko A1 - Beye, Martin A1 - Trabant, Christoph A1 - Mitzner, Rolf A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Kachel, Torsten A1 - Woestmann, Michael A1 - Roling, Sebastian A1 - Zacharias, Helmut A1 - Ivanov, Rosen A1 - Treusch, Rolf A1 - Buchholz, Marcel A1 - Metcalf, Pete A1 - Schuessler-Langeheine, Christian A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander T1 - Probing the non-equilibrium transient state in magnetite by a jitter-free two-color X-ray pump and X-ray probe experiment JF - Structural dynamics N2 - We present a general experimental concept for jitter-free pump and probe experiments at free electron lasers. By generating pump and probe pulse from one and the same X-ray pulse using an optical split-and-delay unit, we obtain a temporal resolution that is limited only by the X-ray pulse lengths. In a two-color X-ray pump and X-ray probe experiment with sub 70 fs temporal resolution, we selectively probe the response of orbital and charge degree of freedom in the prototypical functional oxide magnetite after photoexcitation. We find electronic order to be quenched on a time scale of (30 +/- 30) fs and hence most likely faster than what is to be expected for any lattice dynamics. Our experimental result hints to the formation of a short lived transient state with decoupled electronic and lattice degree of freedom in magnetite. The excitation and relaxation mechanism for X-ray pumping is discussed within a simple model leading to the conclusion that within the first 10 fs the original photoexcitation decays into low-energy electronic excitations comparable to what is achieved by optical pump pulse excitation. Our findings show on which time scales dynamical decoupling of degrees of freedom in functional oxides can be expected and how to probe this selectively with soft X-ray pulses. Results can be expected to provide crucial information for theories for ultrafast behavior of materials and help to develop concepts for novel switching devices. (C) 2018 Author(s). Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5042847 SN - 2329-7778 VL - 5 IS - 5 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kühn, Danilo A1 - Müller, Moritz A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Giangrisostomi, Erika A1 - Jay, Raphael Martin A1 - Ovsyannikov, Ruslan A1 - Martensson, Nils A1 - Sanchez-Portal, Daniel A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander T1 - Directional sub-femtosecond charge transfer dynamics and the dimensionality of 1T-TaS2 JF - Scientific reports N2 - For the layered transition metal dichalcogenide 1T-TaS2, we establish through a unique experimental approach and density functional theory, how ultrafast charge transfer in 1T-TaS2 takes on isotropic three-dimensional character or anisotropic two-dimensional character, depending on the commensurability of the charge density wave phases of 1T-TaS2. The X-ray spectroscopic core-hole-clock method prepares selectively in-and out-of-plane polarized sulfur 3p orbital occupation with respect to the 1T-TaS2 planes and monitors sub-femtosecond wave packet delocalization. Despite being a prototypical two-dimensional material, isotropic three-dimensional charge transfer is found in the commensurate charge density wave phase (CCDW), indicating strong coupling between layers. In contrast, anisotropic two-dimensional charge transfer occurs for the nearly commensurate phase (NCDW). In direct comparison, theory shows that interlayer interaction in the CCDW phase - not layer stacking variations - causes isotropic three-dimensional charge transfer. This is presumably a general mechanism for phase transitions and tailored properties of dichalcogenides with charge density waves. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36637-0 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 9 IS - 488 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kühn, Danilo A1 - Giangrisostomi, Erika A1 - Jay, Raphael Martin A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander T1 - The influence of x-ray pulse length on space-charge effects in optical pump/x-ray probe photoemission JF - New journal of physics : the open-access journal for physics N2 - Pump-probe photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) is a versatile tool to investigate the dynamics of transient states of excited matter. Vacuum space-charge effects can mask these dynamics and complicate the interpretation of electron spectra. Here we report on space-charge effects in Au 4f photoemission from a polycrystalline gold surface, excited with moderately intense 90 ps (FWHM) soft x-ray probe pulses, under the influence of the Coulomb forces exerted by a pump electron cloud, which was produced by intense 40 fs laser pulses. The experimentally observed kinetic energy shift and spectral broadening of the Au 4f lines, measured with highly-efficient time-of-flight spectroscopy, are in good agreement with simulations utilizing a mean-field model of the electrostatic pump electron potential. This confirms that the line broadening is predominantly caused by variations in the take-off time of the probe electrons without appreciable influence of local scattering events. Our findings might be of general interest for pump-probe PES with picosecond-pulse-length sources. KW - space-charge effects KW - mean-field model KW - x-ray photoemission KW - electron spectroscopy KW - pump-probe KW - ARTOF Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab2f5c SN - 1367-2630 VL - 21 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fondell, Mattis A1 - Eckert, Sebastian A1 - Jay, Raphael Martin A1 - Weniger, Christian A1 - Quevedo, Wilson A1 - Niskanen, Johannes A1 - Kennedy, Brian A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Schick, Daniel A1 - Giangrisostomi, Erika A1 - Ovsyannikov, Ruslan A1 - Adamczyk, Katrin A1 - Huse, Nils A1 - Wernet, Philippe A1 - Mitzner, Rolf A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander T1 - Time-resolved soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy in transmission mode on liquids at MHz repetition rates JF - Structural dynamics N2 - We present a setup combining a liquid flatjet sample delivery and a MHz laser system for time-resolved soft X-ray absorption measurements of liquid samples at the high brilliance undulator beamline UE52-SGM at Bessy II yielding unprecedented statistics in this spectral range. We demonstrate that the efficient detection of transient absorption changes in transmission mode enables the identification of photoexcited species in dilute samples. With iron(II)-trisbipyridine in aqueous solution as a benchmark system, we present absorption measurements at various edges in the soft X-ray regime. In combination with the wavelength tunability of the laser system, the set-up opens up opportunities to study the photochemistry of many systems at low concentrations, relevant to materials sciences, chemistry, and biology. (C) 2017 Author(s). Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4993755 SN - 2329-7778 VL - 4 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schick, Daniel A1 - Eckert, Sebastian A1 - Pontius, Niko A1 - Mitzner, Rolf A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander A1 - Holldack, Karsten A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian T1 - Versatile soft X-ray-optical cross-correlator for ultrafast applications JF - Structural dynamics N2 - We present an X-ray-optical cross-correlator for the soft (> 150 eV) up to the hard X-ray regime based on a molybdenum-silicon superlattice. The cross-correlation is done by probing intensity and position changes of superlattice Bragg peaks caused by photoexcitation of coherent phonons. This approach is applicable for a wide range of X-ray photon energies as well as for a broad range of excitation wavelengths and requires no external fields or changes of temperature. Moreover, the cross-correlator can be employed on a 10 ps or 100 fs time scale featuring up to 50% total X-ray reflectivity and transient signal changes of more than 20%. (C) 2016 Author(s). Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4964296 SN - 2329-7778 VL - 3 SP - 054304-1 EP - 054304-8 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dell'Angela, Martina A1 - Anniyev, Toyli A1 - Beye, Martin A1 - Coffee, Ryan A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander A1 - Gladh, Jörgen A1 - Kaya, Sarp A1 - Katayama, Tetsuo A1 - Krupin, Oleg A1 - Nilsson, Anders A1 - Nordlund, Dennis A1 - Schlotter, William F. A1 - Sellberg, Jonas A. A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Turner, Joshua J. A1 - ÖstrÖm, Henrik A1 - Ogasawara, Hirohito A1 - Wolf, Martin A1 - Wurth, Wilfried T1 - Vacuum space charge effects in sub-picosecond soft X-ray photoemission on a molecular adsorbate layer JF - Structural dynamics N2 - Vacuum space charge induced kinetic energy shifts of O 1s and Ru 3d core levels in femtosecond soft X-ray photoemission spectra (PES) have been studied at a free electron laser (FEL) for an oxygen layer on Ru(0001). We fully reproduced the measurements by simulating the in-vacuum expansion of the photoelectrons and demonstrate the space charge contribution of the high-order harmonics in the FEL beam. Employing the same analysis for 400 nm pump-X-ray probe PES, we can disentangle the delay dependent Ru 3d energy shifts into effects induced by space charge and by lattice heating from the femtosecond pump pulse. (C) 2015 Author(s). Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4914892 SN - 2329-7778 VL - 2 IS - 2 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oberg, H. A1 - Gladh, Jörgen A1 - Anniyev, Toyli A1 - Beye, Martin A1 - Coffee, Ryan A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander A1 - Katayama, T. A1 - Kaya, Sarp A1 - LaRue, Jerry A1 - Mogelhoj, Andreas A1 - Nordlund, Dennis A1 - Ogasawara, Hirohito A1 - Schlotter, William F. A1 - Sellberg, Jonas A. A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Turner, Joshua J. A1 - Wolf, Martin A1 - Wurth, W. A1 - Ostrom, Henrik A1 - Nilsson, Anders A1 - Norskov, Jens K. A1 - Pettersson, Lars G. M. T1 - Optical laser-induced CO desorption from Ru(0001) monitored with a free-electron X-ray laser: DFT prediction and X-ray confirmation of a precursor state JF - Surface science N2 - We present density functional theory modeling of time-resolved optical pump/X-ray spectroscopic probe data of CO desorption from Ru(0001). The BEEF van der Waals functional predicts a weakly bound state as a precursor to desorption. The optical pump leads to a near-instantaneous (<100 fs) increase of the electronic temperature to nearly 7000 K. The temperature evolution and energy transfer between electrons, substrate phonons and adsorbate is described by the two-temperature model and found to equilibrate on a timescale of a few picoseconds to an elevated local temperature of similar to 2000K. Estimating the free energy based on the computed potential of mean force along the desorption path, we find an entropic barrier to desorption (and by time-reversal also to adsorption). This entropic barrier separates the chemisorbed and precursor states, and becomes significant at the elevated temperature of the experiment (similar to 1.4 eV at 2000 K). Experimental pump-probe X-ray absorption/X-ray emission spectroscopy indicates population of a precursor state to desorption upon laser-excitation of the system (Dell'Angela et al., 2013). Computing spectra along the desorption path confirms the picture of a weakly bound transient state arising from ultrafast heating of the metal substrate. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - CO desorption KW - Potential of mean force KW - Two-temperature model KW - Pump-probe KW - X-ray spectroscopy KW - Density functional theory Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susc.2015.03.011 SN - 0039-6028 SN - 1879-2758 VL - 640 SP - 80 EP - 88 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pontius, N. A1 - Kachel, T. A1 - Schüssler-Langeheine, C. A1 - Schlotter, W. F. A1 - Beye, Martin A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Chang, C. F. A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander A1 - Wurth, W. A1 - Metcalf, P. A1 - Leonov, I. A1 - Yaresko, A. A1 - Stojanovic, N. A1 - Berglund, Martin A1 - Guerassimova, N. A1 - Duesterer, S. A1 - Redlin, H. A1 - Duerr, H. A. T1 - Time-resolved resonant soft x-ray diffraction with free-electron lasers femtosecond dynamics across the Verwey transition in magnetite JF - Applied physics letters N2 - Resonant soft x-ray diffraction (RSXD) with femtosecond (fs) time resolution is a powerful tool for disentangling the interplay between different degrees of freedom in strongly correlated electron materials. It allows addressing the coupling of particular degrees of freedom upon an external selective perturbation, e. g., by an optical or infrared laser pulse. Here, we report a time-resolved RSXD experiment from the prototypical correlated electron material magnetite using soft x-ray pulses from the free-electron laser FLASH in Hamburg. We observe ultrafast melting of the charge-orbital order leading to the formation of a transient phase, which has not been observed in equilibrium. Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3584855 SN - 0003-6951 VL - 98 IS - 18 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dell'Angela, M. A1 - Anniyev, Toyli A1 - Beye, Martin A1 - Coffee, Ryan A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander A1 - Gladh, J. A1 - Katayama, T. A1 - Kaya, S. A1 - Krupin, O. A1 - LaRue, J. A1 - Mogelhoj, A. A1 - Nordlund, D. A1 - Norskov, J. K. A1 - Oberg, H. A1 - Ogasawara, H. A1 - Ostrom, H. A1 - Pettersson, Lars G. M. A1 - Schlotter, W. F. A1 - Sellberg, J. A. A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Turner, J. J. A1 - Wolf, M. A1 - Wurth, W. A1 - Nilsson, A. T1 - Real-time observation of surface bond breaking with an X-ray Laser JF - Science N2 - We used the Linac Coherent Light Source free-electron x-ray laser to probe the electronic structure of CO molecules as their chemisorption state on Ru(0001) changes upon exciting the substrate by using a femtosecond optical laser pulse. We observed electronic structure changes that are consistent with a weakening of the CO interaction with the substrate but without notable desorption. A large fraction of the molecules (30%) was trapped in a transient precursor state that would precede desorption. We calculated the free energy of the molecule as a function of the desorption reaction coordinate using density functional theory, including van der Waals interactions. Two distinct adsorption wells-chemisorbed and precursor state separated by an entropy barrier-explain the anomalously high prefactors often observed in desorption of molecules from metals. Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1231711 SN - 0036-8075 VL - 339 IS - 6125 SP - 1302 EP - 1305 PB - American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Katayama, T. A1 - Anniyev, Toyli A1 - Beye, Martin A1 - Coffee, Ryan A1 - Dell'Angela, M. A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander A1 - Gladh, J. A1 - Kaya, S. A1 - Krupin, O. A1 - Nilsson, A. A1 - Nordlund, D. A1 - Schlotter, W. F. A1 - Sellberg, J. A. A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Turner, J. J. A1 - Wurth, W. A1 - Öström, H. A1 - Ogasawara, H. T1 - Ultrafast soft X-ray emission spectroscopy of surface adsorbates using an X-ray free electron laser JF - Journal of electron spectroscopy and related phenomena : the international journal on theoretical and experimental aspects of electron spectroscopy N2 - We report on an experimental system designed to probe chemical reactions on solid surfaces on a sub-picosecond timescale using soft X-ray emission spectroscopy at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) free electron laser (FEL) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. We analyzed the O 1s X-ray emission spectra recorded from atomic oxygen adsorbed on a Ru(0001) surface at a synchrotron beamline (SSRL, BL13-2) and an FEL beamline (LCLS, SXR). We have demonstrated conditions that provide negligible amount of FEL induced damage of the sample. In addition we show that the setup is capable of tracking the temporal evolution of electronic structure during a surface reaction of submonolayer quantities of CO molecules desorbing from the surface. KW - X-ray emission spectroscopy KW - Surface science KW - Free electron laser KW - Ultrafast Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elspec.2013.03.006 SN - 0368-2048 VL - 187 IS - 1 SP - 9 EP - 14 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beye, Martin A1 - Anniyev, Toyli A1 - Coffee, Ryan A1 - Dell'Angela, Martina A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander A1 - Gladh, J. A1 - Katayama, T. A1 - Kaya, S. A1 - Krupin, O. A1 - Mogelhoj, A. A1 - Nilsson, A. A1 - Nordlund, D. A1 - Norskov, J. K. A1 - Oberg, H. A1 - Ogasawara, H. A1 - Pettersson, Lars G. M. A1 - Schlotter, W. F. A1 - Sellberg, J. A. A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Turner, J. J. A1 - Wolf, M. A1 - Wurth, Wilfried A1 - Ostrom, H. T1 - Selective ultrafast probing of transient hot chemisorbed and precursor States of CO on Ru(0001) JF - Physical review letters N2 - We have studied the femtosecond dynamics following optical laser excitation of CO adsorbed on a Ru surface by monitoring changes in the occupied and unoccupied electronic structure using ultrafast soft x-ray absorption and emission. We recently reported [M. Dell'Angela et al. Science 339, 1302 (2013)] a phonon-mediated transition into a weakly adsorbed precursor state occurring on a time scale of >2 ps prior to desorption. Here we focus on processes within the first picosecond after laser excitation and show that the metal-adsorbate coordination is initially increased due to hot-electron-driven vibrational excitations. This process is faster than, but occurs in parallel with, the transition into the precursor state. With resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy, we probe each of these states selectively and determine the respective transient populations depending on optical laser fluence. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of CO adsorbed on Ru(0001) were performed at 1500 and 3000 K providing insight into the desorption process. Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.186101 SN - 0031-9007 VL - 110 IS - 18 PB - American Physical Society CY - College Park ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beye, Martin A1 - Schreck, S. A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Trabant, C. A1 - Pontius, N. A1 - Schüßler-Langeheine, C. A1 - Wurth, W. A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander T1 - Stimulated X-ray emission for materials science JF - Nature : the international weekly journal of science N2 - Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering and X-ray emission spectroscopy can be used to probe the energy and dispersion of the elementary low-energy excitations that govern functionality in matter: vibronic, charge, spin and orbital excitations(1-7). A key drawback of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering has been the need for high photon densities to compensate for fluorescence yields of less than a per cent for soft X-rays(8). Sample damage from the dominant non-radiative decays thus limits the materials to which such techniques can be applied and the spectral resolution that can be obtained. A means of improving the yield is therefore highly desirable. Here we demonstrate stimulated X-ray emission for crystalline silicon at photon densities that are easily achievable with free-electron lasers(9). The stimulated radiative decay of core excited species at the expense of non-radiative processes reduces sample damage and permits narrow-bandwidth detection in the directed beam of stimulated radiation. We deduce how stimulated X-ray emission can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude to provide, with high yield and reduced sample damage, a superior probe for low-energy excitations and their dispersion in matter. This is the first step to bringing nonlinear X-ray physics in the condensed phase from theory(10-16) to application. Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12449 SN - 0028-0836 VL - 501 IS - 7466 SP - 191 EP - + PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - de Jong, S. A1 - Kukreja, R. A1 - Trabant, C. A1 - Pontius, N. A1 - Chang, C. F. A1 - Kachel, T. A1 - Beye, Martin A1 - Sorgenfrei, Florian A1 - Back, C. H. A1 - Braeuer, B. A1 - Schlotter, W. F. A1 - Turner, J. J. A1 - Krupin, O. A1 - Doehler, M. A1 - Zhu, D. A1 - Hossain, M. A. A1 - Scherz, A. O. A1 - Fausti, D. A1 - Novelli, F. A1 - Esposito, M. A1 - Lee, W. S. A1 - Chuang, Y. D. A1 - Lu, D. H. A1 - Moore, R. G. A1 - Yi, M. A1 - Trigo, M. A1 - Kirchmann, P. A1 - Pathey, L. A1 - Golden, M. S. A1 - Buchholz, Marcel A1 - Metcalf, P. A1 - Parmigiani, F. A1 - Wurth, W. A1 - Föhlisch, Alexander A1 - Schuessler-Langeheine, Christian A1 - Duerr, H. A. T1 - Speed limit of the insulator-metal transition in magnetite JF - Nature materials N2 - As the oldest known magnetic material, magnetite (Fe3O4) has fascinated mankind for millennia. As the first oxide in which a relationship between electrical conductivity and fluctuating/localized electronic order was shown(1), magnetite represents a model system for understanding correlated oxides in general. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism of the insulator-metal, or Verwey, transition has long remained inaccessible(2-8). Recently, three- Fe- site lattice distortions called trimeronswere identified as the characteristic building blocks of the low-temperature insulating electronically ordered phase(9). Here we investigate the Verwey transition with pump- probe X- ray diffraction and optical reflectivity techniques, and show how trimerons become mobile across the insulator-metal transition. We find this to be a two- step process. After an initial 300 fs destruction of individual trimerons, phase separation occurs on a 1.5 +/- 0.2 ps timescale to yield residual insulating and metallic regions. This work establishes the speed limit for switching in future oxide electronics(10). Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/NMAT3718 SN - 1476-1122 SN - 1476-4660 VL - 12 IS - 10 SP - 882 EP - 886 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER -