Picosecond-scale heterogeneous melting of metals at extreme non-equilibrium states

Qiyu Zeng, Xiaoxiang Yu (), Bo Chen, Shen Zhang, Kaiguo Chen, Dongdong Kang () and Jiayu Dai ()
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Qiyu Zeng: National University of Defense Technology, College of Science
Xiaoxiang Yu: National University of Defense Technology, College of Science
Bo Chen: National University of Defense Technology, College of Science
Shen Zhang: National University of Defense Technology, College of Science
Kaiguo Chen: National University of Defense Technology, College of Science
Dongdong Kang: National University of Defense Technology, College of Science
Jiayu Dai: National University of Defense Technology, College of Science

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Extreme electron-ion non-equilibrium states, generated by ultrafast laser excitation, lead to melting processes that are fundamentally different from those under conventional thermal equilibrium and remain not fully understood. Through neural network-enhanced multiscale simulations of tungsten and gold nanofilms, we identify electronic pressure relaxation as critical to heterogeneous phase transformations. This nonthermal expansion generates a density decrease that enable surface-initiated melting far below equilibrium melting temperatures, creating electronic pressure-driven solid-liquid interface propagation at a high speed of 2500 ms−1—tenfold faster than that of thermal heterogeneous melting mechanisms. Simulated time-resolved X-ray diffraction signatures distinguish this nonthermal expansion from thermal expansion dynamics driven by thermoelastic stress. These results establish hot-electron-mediated lattice destabilization as a universal pathway for laser-induced structural transformations, providing new insights for interpreting time-resolved experiments and controlling laser-matter interactions.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65485-6

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