RESUMEN
Using diffraction of femtosecond laser pulses of visible light by a magnetic domain pattern in an iron garnet, we demonstrate a proof of concept of time-resolved measurements of domain pattern movements with nanometer spatial and femtosecond temporal resolution. In this method, a femtosecond laser (pump) pulse initiates magnetization dynamics in a sample that is initially in a labyrinth domain state, while an equally short linearly polarized laser pulse (probe) is diffracted by the domain pattern. The components of the diffracted light that are polarized orthogonally to the incident light generate several concentric diffraction rings. Nanometer small changes in the relative sizes of domains with opposite magnetization result in observable changes in the intensities of the rings. We demonstrate that the signal-to-noise ratio is high enough to detect a 6 nm domain wall displacement with 100 fs temporal resolution using visible light. We also discuss possible artifacts, such as pump-induced changes of optical properties, that can affect the measurements.
RESUMEN
Ultrafast magnetization reversal driven by femtosecond laser pulses has been shown to be a promising way to write information. Seeking to improve the recording density has raised intriguing fundamental questions about the feasibility of combining ultrafast temporal resolution with sub-wavelength spatial resolution for magnetic recording. Here we report on the experimental demonstration of nanoscale sub-100 ps all-optical magnetization switching, providing a path to sub-wavelength magnetic recording. Using computational methods, we reveal the feasibility of nanoscale magnetic switching even for an unfocused laser pulse. This effect is achieved by structuring the sample such that the laser pulse, via both refraction and interference, focuses onto a localized region of the structure, the position of which can be controlled by the structural design. Time-resolved photo-emission electron microscopy studies reveal that nanoscale magnetic switching employing such focusing can be pushed to the sub-100 ps regime.
RESUMEN
The Lifshitz point in the (H,T) phase diagram of a ferroelectric liquid crystal in a transverse magnetic field has been determined using photon correlation spectroscopy and linear electrooptic response measurements. The extrapolated Lifshitz magnetic field is 25(1+/-0.1) T for a smectic-C* material with an unperturbed helical period of approximately 6 &mgr;m, and the Lifshitz point is located approximately 100 mK above the zero-field transition temperature. We have observed the reentrant helical modulated smectic-C* phase just below the lambda line. The width of this phase is 100 mK at the low temperature critical field H(c) and decreases continuously to zero as we approach the Lifshitz point. The phase boundary between the reentrant phase and the smectic-A phase is of second order, whereas the phase boundary with the unwound smectic-&Cmacr;(*) phase is of first order far away from the Lifshitz point and becomes of second order close to the Lifshitz point. The order parameter dynamics is discussed within the Landau theory.
RESUMEN
The adsorption kinetics and orientational ordering of 4(')-n-octyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) liquid crystal films evaporated onto photosensitive poly(vinyl-cinnamate) (PVCN) substrates were investigated by surface optical second-harmonic generation. The adsorption rate of the first monolayer decreases with increasing degree of photochemical modification of the polymer. The in-plane orientational anisotropy of the 8CB films grown on unidirectionally photopolymerized PVCN substrates is considerably lower than the intrinsic surface orientational anisotropy of these substrates, which can explain the generally found weak surface anchoring of liquid crystals on PVCN alignment layers.
RESUMEN
Spectroscopic magnetization-induced optical second harmonic generation (MSHG) measurements from a clean Ni(110) surface reveal strong resonance effects near 2.7 eV that can be attributed to the presence of an empty surface state. The good agreement with model calculations shows the potential of MSHG to probe spin-polarized interface band structures.
RESUMEN
A near-surface structural phase transition on a SrTiO3 single crystal, occurring at T(*) about 45 K above the bulk cubic-to-tetragonal transition, is observed by means of optical second harmonic generation. The temperature dependence of the second harmonic field in the vicinity of T(*) is described with a phenomenological Landau-type model.
RESUMEN
Surface optical second-harmonic generation measurements were used to determine the change in the surface density and the surface orientational order parameter of the trans-cinnamoyl side groups of unidirectionally photopolymerized poly(vinyl cinnamate) (PVCN) films. The observed surface features were compared to the bulk properties of the films, which were probed by their UV absorption spectra and birefringence measurements. We found that the surface and the bulk photoreaction kinetics of the trans cinnamoyl side groups of the PVCN are very similar. The two photoreaction processes (trans-cis photoisomerization and photo-induced cross linking) appear to affect the linear and nonlinear optical properties of the polymer differently. This may explain the discrepancy between the birefringence and the azimuthal anchoring force of the unidirectionally photopolymerized PVCN.
RESUMEN
Unusual slow fluctuations as revealed recently by dynamic light scattering close to the Sm-A-Sm-C(alpha)(*) phase transition in the antiferroelectric liquid crystal 4-(1-methylheptyloxy-carbonyl)phenyl 4(')-octyloxy biphenyl-4-carboxylate can be explained by the electrostatic coupling between impurity ions and director fluctuations. Within the vicinity of Sm-A-Sm-C(alpha)(*) transition, the relaxation rate of the slow mode depends linearly on temperature, but with a different slope in each phase. The square root of its intensity shows a clear Curie-Weiss divergence at the phase transition, which is a direct confirmation of the electrostatic coupling mechanism.
RESUMEN
Measurements of the conversion efficiency of second-harmonic generation in KTP (KTiOPO(4)) by the use of type I phase matching for different fundamental wavelengths of a mode-locked picosecond Ti:sapphire laser are presented. The observed phase matching angles are in agreement with the calculated phase matching curves. At a fundamental wavelength of 834 nm and an intensity of 100 MW/cm(2) the conversion efficiency is 4% at maximum, and the corresponding effective nonlinear coefficient d(eff) is equal to 0.32 pm/V. The experimental values of d(eff) are related to d(11) (= 0.46 pm/V) of quartz and are in line with the predictions.
