A.V. Kimel

Nanoscale spin reversal by non-local angular momentum transfer following ultrafast laser excitation in ferrimagnetic GdFeCo

Ultrafast laser techniques have revealed extraordinary spin dynamics in magnetic materials that equilibrium descriptions of magnetism cannot explain. Particularly important for future applications is understanding non-equilibrium spin dynamics following laser excitation on the nanoscale, yet the limited spatial resolution of optical laser techniques has impeded such nanoscale studies. Here we present ultrafast diffraction experiments with an X-ray laser that probes the nanoscale spin dynamics following optical laser excitation in the ferrimagnetic alloy GdFeCo, which exhibits macroscopic all-optical switching. Our study reveals that GdFeCo displays nanoscale chemical and magnetic inhomogeneities that affect the spin dynamics. In particular, we observe Gd spin reversal in Gd-rich nanoregions within the first picosecond driven by the non-local transfer of angular momentum from larger adjacent Fe-rich nanoregions. These results suggest that a magnetic materials microstructure can be engineered to control transient laser-excited spins, potentially allowing faster (~ 1 ps) spin reversal than in present technologies.

Demonstration of laser induced magnetization reversal in gdfeco nanostructures

Magnetization switching by a single femtosecond laser heat pulse is demonstrated for out-of-plane domains with sizes down to 200 nm in GdFeCo nanostructures. A complex magnetic domain configuration was revealed with a photoemission electron microscope employing x-ray magnetic circular dichroism at the Fe L3 edge and consisted of in-plane magnetized rims and out-of-plane domains, which results from the structuring process. No influence of this complex domain pattern on the switching efficiency of the structures was detected, constituting an important step towards the application of laser induced magnetization switching in storage devices.

Irreversible modification of magnetic properties of Pt/Co/Pt ultrathin films by femtosecond laser pulses

Annealing ultrathin Pt/Co/Pt films with single femtosecond laser pulses leads to irreversible spin-reorientation transitions and an amplification of the magneto-optical Kerr rotation. The effect was studied as a function of the Co thickness and the pulse fluence, revealing two-dimensional diagrams of magnetic properties. While increasing the fluence, the creation of two branches of the out-of-plane magnetization state was found.

Tunable magnetic properties in ultrathin co/garnet heterostructures

We demonstrate how the magnetic properties of metal/dielectric Co/yttrium iron garnet heterostructures can be engineered by both changing the garnet thickness and adding an ultrathin Co cover layer. The observed magnetization reversal process in the heterostructures is explained by both cubic and perpendicular growth-induced magnetic anisotropy of the garnet films. In particular, the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy can be strongly increased for reduced thickness. A strong influence of a 2 nm Co layer on the domain structure geometry and magnetization processes has been found for 1.8 µm garnet films.

Magneto-optical study of holmium iron garnet Ho3Fe5O12

Bulk holmium iron garnet Ho3Fe5O12 is a cubic ferrimagnet with Curie temperature TC = 567 K and magnetization compensation point in the range 130–140 K. The magneto-optical data are presented for a holmium iron garnet Ho3Fe5O12 film, ∼10 μm thick, epitaxially grown on a (111)-type gadolinium-gallium garnet Gd3Ga5O12 substrate. A specific feature of this structure is that the parameters of the bulk material, from which the film was grown, closely match the substrate ones. The temperature and field dependences of Faraday rotation as well as the temperature dependence of the domain structure in zero field were investigated. The compensation point of the structure was found to be Tcomp = 127 K. It was shown that the temperature dependence of the characteristic size of domain structure diverges at this point. Based on the obtained results we established that the magnetic anisotropy of the material is determined by both uniaxial and cubic contributions, each characterized by different temperature dependence. A ...

Excitation of coherent spin waves at ultrafast thermomagnetic writing

We present results of a time-resolved study of the ultrafast magnetic response of Gd/sub 23.1/Fe/sub 71.9/Co/sub 5.0/ magnetically amplified magnetooptical systems (MAMMOS) structures under conditions near actual read/write temperatures. An all-optical pump and probe method was used in which an intense (pump) light beam excited a medium due to ultrafast laser heating and a less intense (probe) beam monitored this photo-excited state through the magnetooptical Kerr effect. Our experiment clearly demonstrates that the photo-excitation effectively excites coherent spin waves in the magnetic material. Precession frequencies of several gigahertz and relaxation times in the nanosecond range were observed.

Magnetooptical study of granular silicon oxide films with embedded CoNbTa ferromagnetic particles

Granular silicon oxide films with embedded CoNbTa ferromagnetic particles and different relative contents of the metal and dielectric phases were studied using both steady-state and dynamic magnetooptical techniques with subpicosecond time resolution. Measurements were conducted in the spectral interval from 1.45 to 1.70 eV. The concentration dependences of the linear and photoinduced Kerr effects were found to behave similarly. Both relations are nonmonotonic with a maximum lying near the percolation threshold.

Coherent control of excited state populations in rubidium using Rabi oscillations

Complete population inversion is demonstrated analytically in the strong-field limit in a three-level system using the rubidium 5s–5p–5d transition. We exploit the pre-transients of an amplitude-shaped laser pulse to direct the dynamics of the Rabi oscillations such that the population transfer to the excited state can be controlled in a wide range from a strongly enhanced to vanishing one. The excitation is performed under off-resonant conditions. During the intense ultrafast pulse, levels shift to such an extent that two-photon resonant excitation becomes possible, even though a frequency spectrum does not contain photons with energies necessary for the excitation of an unperturbed system. Within the reach of experimental parameters, we demonstrate 70% population transfer.

Growth of nanosized MnAs/Si(111) magnetoelectronic heterostructures and their magnetooptical study

Thin (6–12 nm) epitaxial MnAs films were MBE-grown on Si(111) substrates under different technological conditions. The films feature essentially different surface morphology. This manifests itself in the formation, on the silicon surface, of hexagonal-shaped crystallites, whose dimensions vary depending on the growth conditions. The volume and surface magnetic properties of the films were studied using the magnetooptical Kerr effect and optical second harmonic generation. The Kerr effect was found to scale linearly with the effective thickness of the magnetic layer. The thickness of the magnetically disordered transition layer formed near the interface with the substrate was estimated. The surface and volume hysteresis properties of the films were found to be different. A contribution to the second-harmonic intensity was observed which is an odd function of magnetization. This effect originates from the interference of the magnetic and nonmagnetic contributions to the nonlinear polarization.

Generation of second optical harmonic and magnetooptical Kerr effect in ferromagnet-semiconductor heterostructures CaF2/MnAs/Si(111)

The second optical harmonic generation and magnetooptical Kerr effect are investigated for the light (λ=800 nm) reflected by ferromagnet-semiconductor heterostructures CaF2/MnAs/Si(111). The observed change in the second-harmonic intensity is odd in magnetization. A phenomenological analysis of possible contributions to the second harmonic is carried out, and the sources of optically nonlinear signals are determined from the experimental azimuthal dependences of the light intensity at double frequency. The difference in the field dependences of the second harmonic and the magnetooptical Kerr effect is observed.