Ultrafast ferromagnetic spin switching by a single pair of optical pulses

Kihiro T. Yamada; Sergiu Ruta; Alexey V. Kimel; Kiran Horabail Prabhakara; Tian Li; Fuyuki Ando; Sergey Semin; Teruo Ono; Andrei Kirilyuk; Roy W. Chantrell; Theo Rasing

doi:10.1109/TMAG.2025.3535670

Ultrafast ferromagnetic spin switching by a single pair of optical pulses

Kihiro T. Yamada^*, Sergiu Ruta^*, Alexey V. Kimel, Kiran Horabail Prabhakara, Tian Li, Fuyuki Ando, Sergey Semin, Teruo Ono, Andrei Kirilyuk, Roy W. Chantrell, Theo Rasing

^*Corresponding author for this work

Physics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

All-optical magnetic recording potentially realizes orders of magnitude faster and more energy-efficient writing of magnetic bits but all-optical switching of ferromagnets is so far ultraslow. Here, we demonstrate a new mechanism to all-optically switch ferromagnetic spins on picosecond time scales by using a pair of one femtosecond (fs) linearly polarized (π) and one properly-delayed picosecond (ps) circularly polarized (σ) laser pulse for a Pt/Co/Pt multilayer. Our experiments show that the helicity dependent absorption of the ps-delayed ps σ pulse can deterministically steer the spin relaxation after destroying the ferromagnetic order by the fs π pulse. Atomistic spin-dynamics simulations show that the reversal occurs within approximately 3 ps through an unprecedented mechanism, where nanoscale spin textures created by the fs π pulse preferentially switch via magnetic circular dichroism, producing a spin- and helicity-dependent temperature difference of only a few Kelvin. Thus, a new route to deterministic ultrafast switching of nanoscale ferromagnetic media for ultra-high-density recording is opened up.

Original language	English
Article number	10856206
Journal	IEEE Transactions on Magnetics
Early online date	28 Jan 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/TMAG.2025.3535670
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 28 Jan 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 1965-2012 IEEE.

Keywords

All Optical switching/recording
all-optical helicity-dependent switching
ultrafast magnetization reversal

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10.1109/TMAG.2025.3535670

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title = "Ultrafast ferromagnetic spin switching by a single pair of optical pulses",

abstract = "All-optical magnetic recording potentially realizes orders of magnitude faster and more energy-efficient writing of magnetic bits but all-optical switching of ferromagnets is so far ultraslow. Here, we demonstrate a new mechanism to all-optically switch ferromagnetic spins on picosecond time scales by using a pair of one femtosecond (fs) linearly polarized (π) and one properly-delayed picosecond (ps) circularly polarized (σ) laser pulse for a Pt/Co/Pt multilayer. Our experiments show that the helicity dependent absorption of the ps-delayed ps σ pulse can deterministically steer the spin relaxation after destroying the ferromagnetic order by the fs π pulse. Atomistic spin-dynamics simulations show that the reversal occurs within approximately 3 ps through an unprecedented mechanism, where nanoscale spin textures created by the fs π pulse preferentially switch via magnetic circular dichroism, producing a spin- and helicity-dependent temperature difference of only a few Kelvin. Thus, a new route to deterministic ultrafast switching of nanoscale ferromagnetic media for ultra-high-density recording is opened up.",

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author = "Yamada, {Kihiro T.} and Sergiu Ruta and Kimel, {Alexey V.} and Prabhakara, {Kiran Horabail} and Tian Li and Fuyuki Ando and Sergey Semin and Teruo Ono and Andrei Kirilyuk and Chantrell, {Roy W.} and Theo Rasing",

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doi = "10.1109/TMAG.2025.3535670",

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AU - Yamada, Kihiro T.

AU - Ruta, Sergiu

AU - Kimel, Alexey V.

AU - Prabhakara, Kiran Horabail

AU - Li, Tian

AU - Ando, Fuyuki

AU - Semin, Sergey

AU - Ono, Teruo

AU - Kirilyuk, Andrei

AU - Chantrell, Roy W.

AU - Rasing, Theo

PY - 2025/1/28

Y1 - 2025/1/28

N2 - All-optical magnetic recording potentially realizes orders of magnitude faster and more energy-efficient writing of magnetic bits but all-optical switching of ferromagnets is so far ultraslow. Here, we demonstrate a new mechanism to all-optically switch ferromagnetic spins on picosecond time scales by using a pair of one femtosecond (fs) linearly polarized (π) and one properly-delayed picosecond (ps) circularly polarized (σ) laser pulse for a Pt/Co/Pt multilayer. Our experiments show that the helicity dependent absorption of the ps-delayed ps σ pulse can deterministically steer the spin relaxation after destroying the ferromagnetic order by the fs π pulse. Atomistic spin-dynamics simulations show that the reversal occurs within approximately 3 ps through an unprecedented mechanism, where nanoscale spin textures created by the fs π pulse preferentially switch via magnetic circular dichroism, producing a spin- and helicity-dependent temperature difference of only a few Kelvin. Thus, a new route to deterministic ultrafast switching of nanoscale ferromagnetic media for ultra-high-density recording is opened up.

AB - All-optical magnetic recording potentially realizes orders of magnitude faster and more energy-efficient writing of magnetic bits but all-optical switching of ferromagnets is so far ultraslow. Here, we demonstrate a new mechanism to all-optically switch ferromagnetic spins on picosecond time scales by using a pair of one femtosecond (fs) linearly polarized (π) and one properly-delayed picosecond (ps) circularly polarized (σ) laser pulse for a Pt/Co/Pt multilayer. Our experiments show that the helicity dependent absorption of the ps-delayed ps σ pulse can deterministically steer the spin relaxation after destroying the ferromagnetic order by the fs π pulse. Atomistic spin-dynamics simulations show that the reversal occurs within approximately 3 ps through an unprecedented mechanism, where nanoscale spin textures created by the fs π pulse preferentially switch via magnetic circular dichroism, producing a spin- and helicity-dependent temperature difference of only a few Kelvin. Thus, a new route to deterministic ultrafast switching of nanoscale ferromagnetic media for ultra-high-density recording is opened up.

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KW - ultrafast magnetization reversal

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Ultrafast ferromagnetic spin switching by a single pair of optical pulses

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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