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The interplay between charge, spin and lattice degrees of freedom creates exotic phases in strongly
correlated materials. Raman spectroscopy is a versatile tool to study these phases because of their
sensitivity towards these elementary excitations. Moreover, time-resolved pump-probe Raman
spectroscopy provides the time evolution of these states away from thermal equilibrium. I will first
discuss the Raman scattering results which will illuminate the impact of flash sintering on the structure
of layered oxide structure of cuprate Pr2CuO4. Then, I will present the Raman scattering results of spin-
1/2 quantum spin liquid Ba4Ir3O10 which will provide the signatures of spinons and damped phonons.
I will then switch gears to the light-induced non-equilibrium phases and understand their dynamics in
ultrafast timescales, in which these phases arise, within femto- or picoseconds by using time-resolved
Raman spectroscopy. Recently reported signatures of superconductivity at elevated temperatures in
photoexcited copper oxides and intercalated fullerenes are particularly interesting but still enigmatic.
The time-resolved Raman scattering results on optimally doped YBa2Cu3O6.9 superconductor using near-
infrared pump pulses, focusing on non-equilibrium dynamics of the apical oxygen phonon, relaxation
timescales and interactions between electrons and phonons, will be discussed. Finally, I will briefly
share the ongoing activities on understanding the physics of light-induced non-equilibrium
superconducting phases in fullerenes by resonantly driving specific infrared-active phonon modes with
mid-infrared and terahertz excitation pulses. |