Photoinduced local symmetry breaking in SrTiO3

By controlling quantum fluctuations within SrTiO3 with light, we were able to study photovariations in the localized Ti 3d electronic structure exploiting X-ray Raman features to analyze the photoinduced local symmetry breaking, which is the origin of an electric dipole moment. Crystal field photomodifications observed in these electronic structures give valuable theoretical identification of the photoinduced T1u local atomic displacement. Furthermore, the strengthening of the T1u displacement is clarified by photoinduced covalency enhancements in Ti 3d-O 2p bonds. (author)