Possibility of laser field induced superionic transition
A possible mechanism for the laser field induced superionic transition in the near-surface region is proposed, theoretically, in ionic-electronic materials such as silver chalcogenides. The laser field does not expose ions directly but via an intermediate interaction with conduction electrons inducing many nonequilibrium defects in Ag sublattice. These processes cause a decrease of the activation energy of stable Frenkel defects and, consequently, a decrease of the superionic transition temperature.