Femtosecond Resolved Nanoscale Snapshots of a Light Induced Phase Transition  Inhomogeneities are common in quantum materials and can radically impact emergent phenomena. In this talk, I will discuss femtosecond resolved nanoscale snapshots of an insulator to metal phase transition in a Vanadium Dioxide thin film1,2. Inhomogeneous development of metallicity is observed at nanometer length scales and picosecond timescales. Movies of the phase transition are found to correlate with heterogeneous features observed in the steady state including grain boundaries and twin domains. Following homogeneous photoexcitation, we identify that the energetic cost to produce a local metallic state varies in real space at the nanoscale. Last, I will discuss prospects and opportunities for time-resolved near-field optics in studies of inhomogeneous quantum materials.
[1]        Sternbach, A. J. et al. Nanotextured Dynamics of a Light-Induced Phase Transition in VO2. Nano Letters 21, 9052-9060, (2021).
[2]        Sternbach, A. J. et al. Inhomogeneous Photosusceptibility of VO2 Films at the Nanoscale. Physical Review Letters 132, 186903, (2024).