We report a detailed comparison of ultrafast carrier dynamics in single crystals and thin films of multiferroic BiFeO_3 (BFO). Using degenerate femtosecond optical pump-probe spectroscopy, we find that the observed dynamics are qualitatively similar in both samples. After photoexcitation, electrons relax to the conduction band minimum through electron-phonon coupling, with subsequent carrier relaxation proceeding via various recombination pathways that extend to a nanosecond timescale. Subtle differences observed in our measurements indicate that BFO films have a higher band gap than single crystals. Overall, our results demonstrate that carrier relaxation in BFO is analogous to that in bulk semiconductors.
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