Sabine Alebrand

Engineered materials for all-optical helicity-dependent magnetic switching

The possibility of manipulating magnetic systems without applied magnetic fields have attracted growing attention over the past fifteen years. The low-power manipulation of the magnetization, preferably at ultrashort timescales, has become a fundamental challenge with implications for future magnetic information memory and storage technologies. Here we explore the optical manipulation of the magnetization in engineered magnetic materials. We demonstrate that all-optical helicity-dependent switching (AO-HDS) can be observed not only in selected rare earth-transition metal (RE-TM) alloy films but also in a much broader variety of materials, including RE-TM alloys, multilayers and heterostructures. We further show that RE-free Co-Ir-based synthetic ferrimagnetic heterostructures designed to mimic the magnetic properties of RE-TM alloys also exhibit AO-HDS. These results challenge present theories of AO-HDS and provide a pathway to engineering materials for future applications based on all-optical control of magnetic order.

Light-induced magnetization reversal of high-anisotropy TbCo alloy films

Magnetization reversal using circularly polarized light provides a way to control magnetization without any external magnetic field and has the potential to revolutionize magnetic data storage. However, in order to reach ultra-high density data storage, high anisotropy media providing thermal stability are needed. Here, we evidence all-optical magnetization switching for different TbxCo1−x ferrimagnetic alloy compositions using fs- and ps-laser pulses and demonstrate all-optical switching for films with anisotropy fields reaching 6 T corresponding to anisotropy constants of 3 × 106 ergs/cm3. Optical magnetization switching is observed only for alloy compositions where the compensation temperature can be reached through sample heating.

All-Optical Switching in CoTb Alloys: Composition and Thickness Dependent Studies

We investigate all-optical switching (AOS) in TbCo alloys, demonstrating that AOS occurs in a limited Tb concentration range and above a threshold thickness of the magnetic layer. Overall, we find that the trend of the minimum laser fluence needed for light-induced domain formation depends on the sample composition.