Polarized phonons carry angular momentum in ultrafast demagnetization.

Magnetic phenomena are ubiquitous in nature and indispensable for modern science and technology, but it is notoriously difficult to change the magnetic order of a material in a rapid way. However, if a thin nickel film is subjected to ultrashort laser pulses, it loses its magnetic order almost completely within femtosecond timescales1. This phenomenon is widespread2-7 and offers opportunities for rapid information processing8-11 or ultrafast spintronics at frequencies approaching those of light8,9,12. Consequently, the physics of ultrafast demagnetization is central to modern materials research1-7,13-28, but a crucial question has remained elusive: if a material loses its magnetization within mere femtoseconds, where is the missing angular momentum in such a short time? Here we use ultrafast electron diffraction to reveal in nickel an almost instantaneous, long-lasting, non-equilibrium population of anisotropic high-frequency phonons that appear within 150-750 fs. The anisotropy plane is perpendicular to the direction of the initial magnetization and the atomic oscillation amplitude is 2 pm. We explain these observations by means of circularly polarized phonons that quickly absorb the angular momentum of the spin system before macroscopic sample rotation. The time that is needed for demagnetization is related to the time it takes to accelerate the atoms. These results provide an atomistic picture of the Einstein-de Haas effect and signify the general importance of polarized phonons for non-equilibrium dynamics and phase transitions.

Role of entropy in domain wall motion in thermal gradients.

Thermally driven domain wall (DW) motion caused solely by magnonic spin currents was forecast theoretically and has been measured recently in a magnetic insulator using magneto-optical Kerr effect microscopy. We present an analytical calculation of the DW velocity as well as the Walker breakdown within the framework of the Landau Lifshitz Bloch equation of motion. The temperature gradient leads to a torque term acting on the magnetization where the DW is mainly driven by the temperature dependence of the exchange stiffness, or--in a more general picture--by the maximization of entropy. The existence of this entropic torque term does not rest on the angular momentum transfer from the magnonic spin current. Hence, even DWs in antiferromagnets or compensated ferrimagnets should move accordingly. We further argue that the entropic torque exceeds that of the magnonic spin current.

Exchange bias driven by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions.

The exchange bias effect in a compensated IrMn3/Co(111) system is studied using multiscale modeling from ab initio to atomistic spin model calculations. We evaluate numerically the out-of-plane hysteresis loops of the bilayer for different thicknesses of the ferromagnetic layer. The results show the existence of a perpendicular exchange bias and an enhancement of the coercivity of the system. To identify the origin of the exchange bias, we analyze the hysteresis loops of a selected bilayer by tuning the different contributions to the exchange interaction across the interface. Our results indicate that the exchange bias is primarily induced by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions, while the coercivity is increased mainly due to a spin-flop mechanism.

Discovery of ultrafast spontaneous spin switching in an antiferromagnet by femtosecond noise correlation spectroscopy.

Owing to their high magnon frequencies, antiferromagnets are key materials for future high-speed spintronics. Picosecond switching of antiferromagnetic spin systems has been viewed a milestone for decades and pursued only by using ultrafast external perturbations. Here, we show that picosecond spin switching occurs spontaneously due to thermal fluctuations in the antiferromagnetic orthoferrite Sm0.7Er0.3FeO3. By analysing the correlation between the pulse-to-pulse polarisation fluctuations of two femtosecond optical probes, we extract the autocorrelation of incoherent magnon fluctuations. We observe a strong enhancement of the magnon fluctuation amplitude and the coherence time around the critical temperature of the spin reorientation transition. The spectrum shows two distinct features, one corresponding to the quasi-ferromagnetic mode and another one which has not been previously reported in pump-probe experiments. Comparison to a stochastic spin dynamics simulation reveals this new mode as smoking gun of ultrafast spontaneous spin switching within the double-well anisotropy potential.

THz switching of antiferromagnets and ferrimagnets.

Using analytical calculations as well as computer simulations, we show that antiferromagnets can be switched on a time scale of picoseconds using THz laser pulses only. This all-optically triggered switching mechanism rests on the coordinated dynamics of the two interacting sublattices with an inertial character. We calculate the resonance frequencies in the nonlinear regime, the orbits, and estimate the field strength required for switching analytically. Furthermore, we demonstrate that ferrimagnets can be switched similarly at their compensation point.

Domain wall motion by the magnonic spin Seebeck effect.

The recently discovered spin Seebeck effect refers to a spin current induced by a temperature gradient in a ferromagnetic material. It combines spin degrees of freedom with caloric properties, opening the door for the invention of new, spin caloritronic devices. Using spin model simulations as well as an innovative, multiscale micromagnetic framework we show that magnonic spin currents caused by temperature gradients lead to spin transfer torque effects, which can drag a domain wall in a ferromagnetic nanostructure towards the hotter part of the wire. This effect opens new perspectives for the control and manipulation of domain structures.

Nonadiabatic spin torque investigated using thermally activated magnetic domain wall dynamics.

Using transmission electron microscopy, we investigate the thermally activated motion of domain walls (DWs) between two positions in Permalloy (Ni80Fe20) nanowires at room temperature. We show that this purely thermal motion is well described by an Arrhenius law, allowing for a description of the DW as a quasiparticle in a one-dimensional potential landscape. By injecting small currents, the potential is modified, allowing for the determination of the nonadiabatic spin torque: ßt=0.010±0.004 for a transverse DW and ßv=0.073±0.026 for a vortex DW. The larger value is attributed to the higher magnetization gradients present.

The role of ultrafast magnon generation in the magnetization dynamics of rare-earth metals.

Ultrafast demagnetization of rare-earth metals is distinct from that of 3d ferromagnets, as rare-earth magnetism is dominated by localized 4f electrons that cannot be directly excited by an optical laser pulse. Their demagnetization must involve excitation of magnons, driven either through exchange coupling between the 5d6s-itinerant and 4f-localized electrons or by coupling of 4f spins to lattice excitations. Here, we disentangle the ultrafast dynamics of 5d6s and 4f magnetic moments in terbium metal by time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We show that the demagnetization time of the Tb 4f magnetic moments of 400 fs is set by 4f spin-lattice coupling. This is experimentally evidenced by a comparison to ferromagnetic gadolinium and supported by orbital-resolved spin dynamics simulations. Our findings establish coupling of the 4f spins to the lattice via the orbital momentum as an essential mechanism driving magnetization dynamics via ultrafast magnon generation in technically relevant materials with strong magnetic anisotropy.

Role of temperature-dependent spin model parameters in ultra-fast magnetization dynamics.

In the spirit of multi-scale modelling magnetization dynamics at elevated temperature is often simulated in terms of a spin model where the model parameters are derived from first principles. While these parameters are mostly assumed temperature-independent and thermal properties arise from spin fluctuations only, other scenarios are also possible. Choosing bcc Fe as an example, we investigate the influence of different kinds of model assumptions on ultra-fast spin dynamics, where following a femtosecond laser pulse, a sample is demagnetized due to a sudden rise of the electron temperature. While different model assumptions do not affect the simulational results qualitatively, their details do depend on the nature of the modelling.

Magnetisation switching of FePt nanoparticle recording medium by femtosecond laser pulses.

Manipulation of magnetisation with ultrashort laser pulses is promising for information storage device applications. The dynamics of the magnetisation response depends on the energy transfer from the photons to the spins during the initial laser excitation. A material of special interest for magnetic storage are FePt nanoparticles, for which switching of the magnetisation with optical angular momentum was demonstrated recently. The mechanism remained unclear. Here we investigate experimentally and theoretically the all-optical switching of FePt nanoparticles. We show that the magnetisation switching is a stochastic process. We develop a complete multiscale model which allows us to optimize the number of laser shots needed to switch the magnetisation of high anisotropy FePt nanoparticles in our experiments. We conclude that only angular momentum induced optically by the inverse Faraday effect will provide switching with one single femtosecond laser pulse.

The crystal structure of the catalytic domain of human urokinase-type plasminogen activator.

BACKGROUND: Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) promotes fibrinolysis by catalyzing the conversion of plasminogen to the active protease plasmin via the cleavage of a peptide bond. When localized to the external cell surface it contributes to tissue remodelling and cellular migration; inhibition of its activity impedes the spread of cancer. u-PA has three domains: an N-terminal receptor-binding growth factor domain, a central kringle domain and a C-terminal catalytic protease domain. The biological roles of the fibrinolytic enzymes render them therapeutic targets, however, until now no structure of the protease domain has been available. Solution of the structure of the u-PA serine protease was undertaken to provide such data. RESULTS: The crystal structure of the catalytic domain of recombinant, non-glycosylated human u-PA, complexed with the inhibitor Glu-Gly-Arg chloromethyl ketone (EGRcmk), has been determined at a nominal resolution of 2.5 A and refined to a crystallographic R-factor of 22.4% on all data (20.4% on data > 3 sigma). The enzyme has the expected topology of a trypsin-like serine protease. CONCLUSIONS: The enzyme has an S1 specificity pocket similar to that of trypsin, a restricted, less accessible, hydrophobic S2 pocket and a solvent-accessible S3 pocket which is capable of accommodating a wide range of residues. The EGRcmk inhibitor binds covalently at the active site to form a tetrahedral hemiketal structure. Although the overall structure is similar to that of homologous serine proteases, at six positions insertions of extra residues in loop regions create unique surface areas. One of these loop regions is highly mobile despite being anchored by the disulphide bridge which is characteristic of a small subset of serine proteases namely tissuetype plasminogen activator, Factor XII and Complement Factor I.

Disparate ultrafast dynamics of itinerant and localized magnetic moments in gadolinium metal.

The Heisenberg-Dirac intra-atomic exchange coupling is responsible for the formation of the atomic spin moment and thus the strongest interaction in magnetism. Therefore, it is generally assumed that intra-atomic exchange leads to a quasi-instantaneous aligning process in the magnetic moment dynamics of spins in separate, on-site atomic orbitals. Following ultrashort optical excitation of gadolinium metal, we concurrently record in photoemission the 4f magnetic linear dichroism and 5d exchange splitting. Their dynamics differ by one order of magnitude, with decay constants of 14 versus 0.8 ps, respectively. Spin dynamics simulations based on an orbital-resolved Heisenberg Hamiltonian combined with first-principles calculations explain the particular dynamics of 5d and 4f spin moments well, and corroborate that the 5d exchange splitting traces closely the 5d spin-moment dynamics. Thus gadolinium shows disparate dynamics of the localized 4f and the itinerant 5d spin moments, demonstrating a breakdown of their intra-atomic exchange alignment on a picosecond timescale.

Monte carlo simulation with time step quantification in terms of langevin dynamics

For the description of thermally activated dynamics in systems of classical magnetic moments numerical methods are desirable. We consider a simple model for isolated magnetic particles in a uniform field with an oblique angle to the easy axis of the particles. For this model, a comparison of the Monte Carlo method with Langevin dynamics yields new insight to the interpretation of the Monte Carlo process, leading to the implementation of a new algorithm where the Monte Carlo step is time quantified. The numeric results for the characteristic time of the magnetization reversal are in excellent agreement with asymptotic solutions for the Neel-Brown model.

Diluted antiferromagnets in exchange bias: proof of the domain state model

The exchange bias coupling at ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interfaces in epitaxially grown Co/CoO layers can intentionally be increased by a factor of up to 3 if the antiferromagnetic CoO layer is diluted by nonmagnetic defects in its volume part away from the interface. Monte Carlo simulations of a simple model of a ferromagnetic layer on a diluted antiferromagnet show exchange bias and explain qualitatively its dilution and temperature dependence. These investigations reveal that diluting the antiferromagnet leads to the formation of volume domains, which cause and control exchange bias.