Direct time domain sampling of sub-THz coherent acoustic phonon spectra in SrTiO$_3$ using ultrafast X-ray diffraction

Abstract

We synthesize sub-THz longitudinal quasi-monochromatic acoustic phonons in a SrTiO$_3$ single crystal using a SrRuO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ superlattice as an optical-acoustic transducer. The generated acoustic phonon spectrum is determined using ultrafast X-ray diffraction. The analysis of the generated phonon spectrum in the time domain reveals a k-vector dependent phonon lifetime. It is observed that even at sub-THz frequencies the phonon lifetime agrees with the 1/$\omega^2$ power law known from Akhiezer's model for hyper sound attenuation. The observed shift of the synthesized spectrum to the higher $q$ is discussed in the framework of non-linear effects appearing due to the high amplitude of the synthesized phonons.