Temporal and spectral fingerprints of ultrafast all-coherent spin switching.

Future information technology demands ever-faster, low-loss quantum control. Intense light fields have facilitated milestones along this way, including the induction of novel states of matter1-3, ballistic acceleration of electrons4-7 and coherent flipping of the valley pseudospin8. These dynamics leave unique 'fingerprints', such as characteristic bandgaps or high-order harmonic radiation. The fastest and least dissipative way of switching the technologically most important quantum attribute-the spin-between two states separated by a potential barrier is to trigger an all-coherent precession. Experimental and theoretical studies with picosecond electric and magnetic fields have suggested this possibility9-11, yet observing the actual spin dynamics has remained out of reach. Here we show that terahertz electromagnetic pulses allow coherent steering of spins over a potential barrier, and we report the corresponding temporal and spectral fingerprints. This goal is achieved by coupling spins in antiferromagnetic TmFeO3 (thulium orthoferrite) with the locally enhanced terahertz electric field of custom-tailored antennas. Within their duration of one picosecond, the intense terahertz pulses abruptly change the magnetic anisotropy and trigger a large-amplitude ballistic spin motion. A characteristic phase flip, an asymmetric splitting of the collective spin resonance and a long-lived offset of the Faraday signal are hallmarks of coherent spin switching into adjacent potential minima, in agreement with numerical simulations. The switchable states can be selected by an external magnetic bias. The low dissipation and the antenna's subwavelength spatial definition could facilitate scalable spin devices operating at terahertz rates.

Two-Dimensional Terahertz Spectroscopy of Nonlinear Phononics in the Topological Insulator MnBi_{2}Te_{4}.

The interaction of a single-cycle terahertz electric field with the topological insulator MnBi_{2}Te_{4} triggers strongly anharmonic lattice dynamics, promoting fully coherent energy transfer between the otherwise noninteracting Raman-active E_{g} and infrared (IR)-active E_{u} phononic modes. Two-dimensional terahertz spectroscopy combined with modeling based on the classical equations of motion and symmetry analysis reveals the multistage process underlying the excitation of the Raman-active E_{g} phonon. In this nonlinear combined photophononic process, the terahertz electric field first prepares a coherent IR-active E_{u} phononic state and subsequently interacts with this state to efficiently excite the E_{g} phonon.

THz-Scale Field-Induced Spin Dynamics in Ferrimagnetic Iron Garnets.

THz magnetization dynamics of antiferromagnetically coupled spins in ferrimagnetic Tm_{3}Fe_{5}O_{12} is excited by a picosecond single-cycle pulse of a magnetic field and probed with the help of the magneto-optical Faraday effect. Data analysis combined with numerical modeling shows that the dynamics corresponds to the exchange mode excited by the Zeeman interaction of the THz magnetic field with the spins. We argue that THz-pump-IR-probe experiments on ferrimagnets offer a unique tool for quantitative studies of dynamics and mechanisms to control antiferromagnetically coupled spins.

Advanced graphene recording device for spin-orbit torque magnetoresistive random access memory.

The non-volatile spin-orbit torque magnetic random access memory (SOT-MRAM) is a very attractive memory technology for near future computers because it has various advantages such as non-volatility, high density and scalability. In the present work we propose a model of a graphene recording device for the SOT-MRAM unit cell, consisting of a quasi-freestanding graphene intercalated with Au and an ultra-thin Pt layer sandwiched between graphene and a magnetic tunnel junction. As a result of using the claimed graphene recording memory element, a faster operation and lower energy consumption will be achieved under the recording information by reducing the electric current required to record. The efficiency of the graphene recording element was confirmed by the experimental results and the theoretical estimations.

Optically pumped Floquet states of magnetization in ferromagnets.

Floquet states have been the subject of great research interest since Zel'dovich's pioneering work on the quasienergy of a quantum system influenced by a temporally periodic action. Nowadays, periodic modulation of the system Hamiltonian is achieved mostly by microwaves, leading to novel exciting phenomena in condensed matter physics. On the other hand, nonthermal optical control of magnetization at picosecond time scales is currently a highly appealing research topic for potential applications in magnetic data storage. Here we combine these two concepts to theoretically investigate Floquet states in the system of exchange-coupled spins in a ferromagnet. Periodic perturbation of the magnetization of an iron-garnet film by circularly polarized femtosecond laser pulses is shown to establish the magnetization dynamics behaving like Floquet states. An external magnetic field allows tuning of the Floquet states, leading to pronounced increase in the precession amplitude by one order of magnitude at the center of the Brillouin zone, i.e., when the precession frequency is a multiple of the laser pulse repetition rate. Floquet states might potentially allow for parametric generation of magnetic oscillations. The observed phenomena expand the capabilities of coherent ultrafast optical control of magnetization and pave the way for their application in quantum computation or data processing.

Terahertz Optomagnetism: Nonlinear THz Excitation of GHz Spin Waves in Antiferromagnetic FeBO_{3}.

A nearly single cycle intense terahertz (THz) pulse with peak electric and magnetic fields of 0.5 MV/cm and 0.16 T, respectively, excites both modes of spin resonances in the weak antiferromagnet FeBO_{3}. The high frequency quasiantiferromagnetic mode is excited resonantly and its amplitude scales linearly with the strength of the THz magnetic field, whereas the low frequency quasiferromagnetic mode is excited via a nonlinear mechanism that scales quadratically with the strength of the THz electric field and can be regarded as a THz inverse Cotton-Mouton effect. THz optomagnetism is shown to be more energy efficient than similar effects reported previously for the near-infrared spectral range.

Anomalously Damped Heat-Assisted Route for Precessional Magnetization Reversal in an Iron Garnet.

A heat-assisted route for subnanosecond magnetic recording is discovered for the dielectric bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet, known for possessing small magnetic damping. The experiments and simulations reveal that the route involves nonlinear magnetization precession, triggered by a transient thermal modification of the growth-induced crystalline anisotropy in the presence of a fixed perpendicular magnetic field. The pathway is rendered robust by the damping becoming anomalously large during the switching process. Subnanosecond deterministic magnetization reversal was achieved within just one-half of a precessional period, and this mechanism should be possible to implement in any material with suitably engineered dissimilar thermal derivatives of magnetization and anisotropy.

Optical excitation of spin waves in epitaxial iron garnet films: MSSW vs BVMSW.

In most of the previous studies of the spin wave optical generation in magnetic dielectrics, the backward volume spin waves were excited. Here we modified the parameters of the circularly polarized optical pump beams emitted by femtosecond laser to reveal surface spin waves in bismuth iron garnet thin film. Beams that are larger than 10 µm in diameter generate both surface and volume spin waves with only one spectral peak near the ferromagnetic resonance. On the contrary, narrower beams excite predominantly surface spin waves of higher frequency, providing an additional peak in the spin wave spectrum. Thus different interference patterns of the magnetization dynamics are achievable. This may significantly broaden the capabilities of spin wave based devices.

Laser-induced shift of the Morin point in antiferromagnetic DyFeO(3).

Imaging domain structure of antiferromagnetic DyFeO(3) reveals that intense laser excitation can control the temperature of the Morin transition from collinear to non-collinear spin state. Excitation of the antiferromagnet with femtosecond laser pulses with the central wavelength of 800 nm leads to a shift of the transition temperature over 1 K to higher values as if the light effectively cools the irradiated area down. It is suggested that the optical control of the Morin point can be a result of photo-ionization of Dy(3+) ions.

Schrödinger plasmon-solitons in Kerr nonlinear heterostructures with magnetic manipulation.

We investigate surface plasmon-soliton (SPS) propagation in transverse magnetic field in heterostructures with Kerr nonlinearity. The nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the framework of perturbation theory has been derived for three cases: a single-interface metal/nonlinear-dielectric structure and double-interface structures of nonlinear-dielectric/metal/dielectric with either ferromagnetic or nonmagnetic dielectric. The effect of the magneto-optical nonreciprocity in the Schrödinger equation is found. The estimations show that the effect is the strongest for the double-interface structure with a magnetic substrate in the vicinity of the resonant plasmonic frequency. We have also shown that the external magnetic field modifies SPS amplitude and width.

Crafting the magnonic and spintronic response of BiFeO3 films by epitaxial strain.

Multiferroics are compounds that show ferroelectricity and magnetism. BiFeO3, by far the most studied, has outstanding ferroelectric properties, a cycloidal magnetic order in the bulk, and many unexpected virtues such as conductive domain walls or a low bandgap of interest for photovoltaics. Although this flurry of properties makes BiFeO3 a paradigmatic multifunctional material, most are related to its ferroelectric character, and its other ferroic property--antiferromagnetism--has not been investigated extensively, especially in thin films. Here we bring insight into the rich spin physics of BiFeO3 in a detailed study of the static and dynamic magnetic response of strain-engineered films. Using Mössbauer and Raman spectroscopies combined with Landau-Ginzburg theory and effective Hamiltonian calculations, we show that the bulk-like cycloidal spin modulation that exists at low compressive strain is driven towards pseudo-collinear antiferromagnetism at high strain, both tensile and compressive. For moderate tensile strain we also predict and observe indications of a new cycloid. Accordingly, we find that the magnonic response is entirely modified, with low-energy magnon modes being suppressed as strain increases. Finally, we reveal that strain progressively drives the average spin angle from in-plane to out-of-plane, a property we use to tune the exchange bias and giant-magnetoresistive response of spin valves.

Surface plasmons in nanowires with toroidal magnetic structure.

We consider the problem of the influence of a toroidal magnetization on a cylindrical surface plasmon polariton (SPP) propagating along a nanowire of a circular cross section. It follows from the dispersion equations that the SPP wavenumber linearly depends on the toroidal moment and the effect of magneto-optical nonreciprocity appears. The numerical solution of the dispersion equations demonstrates that the corresponding splitting of the SPP dispersion curves for two opposite directions of the toroidal moment is increased by an order of magnitude with respect to the planar case. The largest values of this splitting are observed for systems with relatively low optical losses, as is demonstrated by calculations for SPPs in a gold cylinder surrounded by rare-earth bismuth iron garnet.

Ultrafast kinetics of the antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition in FeRh.

Understanding how fast short-range interactions build up long-range order is one of the most intriguing topics in condensed matter physics. FeRh is a test specimen for studying this problem in magnetism, where the microscopic spin-spin exchange interaction is ultimately responsible for either ferro- or antiferromagnetic macroscopic order. Femtosecond laser excitation can induce ferromagnetism in antiferromagnetic FeRh, but the mechanism and dynamics of this transition are topics of intense debates. Employing double-pump THz emission spectroscopy has enabled us to dramatically increase the temporal detection window of THz emission probes of transient states without sacrificing any loss of resolution or sensitivity. It allows us to study the kinetics of emergent ferromagnetism from the femtosecond up to the nanosecond timescales in FeRh/Pt bilayers. Our results strongly suggest a latency period between the initial pump-excitation and the emission of THz radiation by ferromagnetic nuclei.

Accumulation and control of spin waves in magnonic dielectric microresonators by a comb of ultrashort laser pulses.

Spin waves in magnetic microresonators are at the core of modern magnonics. Here we demonstrate a new method of tunable excitation of different spin wave modes in magnetic microdisks by using a train of laser pulses coming at a repetition rate higher than the decay rate of spin precession. The microdisks are etched in a transparent bismuth iron garnet film and the light pulses influence the spins nonthermally through the inverse Faraday effect. The high repetition rate of the laser stimulus of 10 GHz establishes an interplay between the spin wave resonances in the frequency and momentum domains. As a result, scanning of the focused laser spot near the disk boarder changes interference pattern of the magnons and leads to a resonant dependence of the spin wave amplitude on the external magnetic field. Apart from that, we achieved a switching between volume and surface spin waves by a small variation of the external magnetic field.

Multiferroic order parameters in rhombic antiferromagnetsRCrO3.

Currently, active research is aimed at perovskite-based oxides, including rare earth orthochromites, which exhibit magnetoelectric properties owed to intrinsic magnetic interactions in external electric and magnetic fields. Due to a variety of structural instabilities and couplings in these materials, understanding the underlying magnetoelectric mechanisms is a challenge. In this paper, we explore magnetoelectric properties of the rare earth orthochromites in the framework of symmetry analysis. Our calculations show the presence inRCrO3of electric dipole moments localized in the vicinity of Cr3+ions. The electric dipole moments, appearing due to the displacements of oxygen ions from their highly symmetric positions in the parent perovskite phase, are arranged in an antiferroelectric mode. We have demonstrated the presence of electric dipole moments in the unit cell ofRCrO3,localized in the vicinity of Cr3+ions. The inversion symmetry breaks due to the displacements of oxygen ions from their highly symmetric positions in the parent perovskite phase, the electric dipoles become arranged in an antiferroelectric mode. We have introduced the basic distortive order parameters in consistence with the symmetry ofRCrO3: the polar order parameters (D,Q2,Q3,P) and the axial order parameterΩband classified them according to the irreducible representations of theRCrO3symmetry group (D2h16). We have determined the symmetry-allowed couplings between distortive, ferroelectric and magnetic orderings and found possible exchange-coupled magnetic and ferroelectric structures. The presented analysis makes it possible to explain experimentally observed polarization reversal and the concomitant reorientation of spins in a series ofRCrO3compounds and to predict the possible scenarios of phase transitions inRCrO3.

Nanophotonic structures with optical surface modes for tunable spin current generation.

We propose a novel type of photonic-crystal (PC)-based nanostructures for efficient and tunable optically-induced spin current generation via the spin Seebeck and inverse spin Hall effects. It has been experimentally demonstrated that optical surface modes localized at the PC surface covered by ferromagnetic layer and materials with giant spin-orbit coupling (SOC) notably increase the efficiency of the optically-induced spin current generation, and provides its tunability by modifying the light wavelength or angle of incidence. Up to 100% of the incident light power can be transferred to heat within the SOC layer and, therefore, to the spin current. Importantly, the high efficiency becomes accessible even for ultra-thin SOC layers. Moreover, the surface patterning of the PC-based spintronic nanostructure allows for the local generation of spin currents at the pattern scales rather than the diameter of the laser beam.

Non-monotonic variation of the Kramers point band gap with increasing magnetic doping in BiTeI.

Polar Rashba-type semiconductor BiTeI doped with magnetic elements constitutes one of the most promising platforms for the future development of spintronics and quantum computing thanks to the combination of strong spin-orbit coupling and internal ferromagnetic ordering. The latter originates from magnetic impurities and is able to open an energy gap at the Kramers point (KP gap) of the Rashba bands. In the current work using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) we show that the KP gap depends non-monotonically on the doping level in case of V-doped BiTeI. We observe that the gap increases with V concentration until it reaches 3% and then starts to mitigate. Moreover, we find that the saturation magnetisation of samples under applied magnetic field studied by superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer has a similar behaviour with the doping level. Theoretical analysis shows that the non-monotonic behavior can be explained by the increase of antiferromagnetic coupled atoms of magnetic impurity above a certain doping level. This leads to the reduction of the total magnetic moment in the domains and thus to the mitigation of the KP gap as observed in the experiment. These findings provide further insight in the creation of internal magnetic ordering and consequent KP gap opening in magnetically-doped Rashba-type semiconductors.

Ultrafast spin dynamics in ferrimagnets with compensation point.

We derive an effective Lagrangian that facilitates the modeling of magnetization dynamics in a ferrimagnet with magnetization compensation point. The model is able to explain the earlier reported magnetization dynamics in the noncollinear magnetic phase triggered by a femtosecond laser pulse in GdFeCo amorphous alloy in the vicinity of spin-flop transition. Moreover, the described approach can be easily extended and applied to other cases of ultrafast magnetism in uniaxial f -d (rare-earth-transition metal) ferrimagnet near the magnetization compensation point in high magnetic fields. We assume that the primary effect of the femtosecond laser pulse is the ultrafast demagnetization of the ferrimagnet. We show that in the noncollinear magnetic phase, which can be prepared by applying external magnetic field above the spin-flop transition, such a demagnetization results in a torque acting on the magnetizations of both sublattices. It is shown that, similarly to the experiment, the amplitude and timescales of the dynamics strongly depend on temperature and applied magnetic field. In particular, in the vicinity of the spin-flop phase transition the amplitude dramatically increases while the dynamics exhibit a critical slowdown. We expect that the developed theoretical framework will boost further research of ultrafast magnetism of noncollinear spin systems.

Controlling magnetic domain wall velocity by femtosecond laser pulses.

Using the technique of double high-speed photography, we find that a femtosecond laser pulse is able to change the velocity of a moving domain wall in an yttrium iron garnet. The change depends on the light intensity and the domain wall velocity itself. To explain the results we propose a model in which the domain wall velocity is controlled by photo-induced generation of vertical Bloch lines.

Selection rules for all-optical magnetic recording in iron garnet.

Rapid growth of the area of ultrafast magnetism has allowed to achieve a substantial progress in all-optical magnetic recording with femtosecond laser pulses and triggered intense discussions about microscopic mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon. The typically used metallic medium nevertheless considerably limits the applications because of the unavoidable heat dissipation. In contrast, the recently demonstrated photo-magnetic recording in transparent dielectric garnet for all practical purposes is dissipation-free. This discovery raised question about selection rules, i.e. the optimal wavelength and the polarization of light, for such a recording. Here we report the computationally and experimentally identified workspace of parameters allowing photo-magnetic recording in Co-doped iron garnet using femtosecond laser pulses. The revealed selection rules indicate that the excitations responsible for the coupling of light to spins are d-d electron transitions in octahedral and tetrahedral Co-sublattices, respectively.