Ultrafast all-optical control of the magnetization in magnetic dielectrics

• Published in: Физика низких температур
• Date: 2006
• Main Authors: Kirilyuk, A., Kimel, A., Pisarev, R.V., Hansteen, F., Rasing, T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Фізико-технічний інститут низьких температур ім. Б.І. Вєркіна НАН України 2006
• Subjects: К 100-летию со дня рождения Б.Г. Лазарева
• Online Access: https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/120330
• Journal Title: Digital Library of Periodicals of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
• Cite this: Ultrafast all-optical control of the magnetization
 in magnetic dielectrics / A. Kirilyuk, A. Kimel, F. Hansteen, R.V. Pisarev, T. Rasing // Физика низких температур. — 2006. — Т. 32, № 8-9. — С. 985–1009. — Бібліогр.: 106 назв. — англ.

The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent progress on laser-induced magnetization
 dynamics in magnetic dielectrics. Due to the slow phonon–magnon interaction in these materials,
 direct thermal effects of the laser excitation can only be seen on the time scale of almost a nanosecond
 and thus are clearly distinguished from the ultrafast nonthermal effects. However, via the
 crystal field, laser pulses are shown to indirectly modify the magnetic anisotropy in rare-earth
 orthoferrites and lead to the spin reorientation within a few picoseconds. More interesting, however,
 are the direct nonthermal effects of light on spin systems. We demonstrate coherent optical
 control of the magnetization in ferrimagnetic garnet films on a femtosecond time scale through a
 combination of two different ultrafast and nonthermal photomagnetic effects and by employing
 multiple pump pulses. Linearly polarized laser pulses are shown to create a long-lived modification
 of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy via optically induced electron transfer between nonequivalent
 ion sites. In addition, circularly polarized pulses are shown to act as strong transient magnetic
 field pulses originating from the nonabsorptive inverse Faraday effect. An all-optical scheme of excitation
 and detection of different antiferromagnetic resonance modes with frequencies of up to
 500 GHz will be discussed as well. The reported effects open new and exciting possibilities for
 ultrafast manipulation of spins by light, and provide new insight into the physics of magnetism on
 ultrafast time scales.