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Results for “Ultrafast demagnetization”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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30 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Ultrafast electron microscopy for probing magnetic dynamics

Abstract The spatial features of ultrafast changes in magnetic textures carry detailed information on microscopic couplings and energy transport mechanisms. Electrons excel in imaging such picosecond or shorter processes at nanometer length scales. We review the range of physical interactions that produce ultrafast magnetic contrast with electrons, and specifically highlight the recent emergence of ultrafast Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. From the fundamental processes involved in demagnetization at extremely short timescales to skyrmion-based devices, we show that ultrafast electron imaging will be a vital tool in solving pressing problems in magnetism and magnetic materials where nanoscale inhomogeneity, microscopic field measurement, non-equilibrium behavior or dynamics are involved. Graphic abstract

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ultrafast Dynamics of Intrinsic Anomalous Hall Effect in the Topological Antiferromagnet Mn 3 Sn

Here, we investigate ultrafast dynamics of the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in the topological antiferromagnet Mn 3 ⁢Sn with sub-100 fs time resolution. Optical pulse excitations largely elevate the electron temperature up to 700 K, and terahertz probe pulses clearly resolve ultrafast suppression of the AHE before demagnetization. The result is well reproduced by microscopic calculation of the intrinsic Berry-curvature mechanism while the extrinsic contribution is clearly excluded. Our work opens a new avenue for the study of nonequilibrium AHE to identify the microscopic origin by drastic control of the electron temperature by light.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Coherent helicity-dependent spin-phonon oscillations in the ferromagnetic van der Waals crystal CrI3

Abstract The discovery of two-dimensional systems hosting intrinsic magnetic order represents a seminal addition to the rich landscape of van der Waals materials. CrI 3 is an archetypal example, where the interdependence of structure and magnetism, along with strong light-matter interactions, provides a new platform to explore the optical control of magnetic and vibrational degrees of freedom at the nanoscale. However, the nature of magneto-structural coupling on its intrinsic ultrafast timescale remains a crucial open question. Here, we probe magnetic and vibrational dynamics in bulk CrI 3 using ultrafast optical spectroscopy, revealing spin-flip scattering-driven demagnetization and strong transient exchange-mediated interactions between lattice vibrations and spin oscillations. The latter yields a coherent spin-coupled phonon mode that is highly sensitive to the driving pulse’s helicity in the magnetically ordered phase. Our results elucidate the nature of ultrafast spin-lattice coupling in CrI 3 and highlight its potential for applications requiring high-speed control of magnetism at the nanoscale.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Light-induced ultrafast spin transport in multilayer metallic films originates from sp-d spin exchange coupling

Ultrafast interaction between the femtosecond laser pulse and the magnetic metal provides an efficient way to manipulate the magnetic states of matter. Numerous experimental advancements have been made on multilayer metallic films in the last two decades. However, the underlying physics remains unclear. Here, relying on an efficient ab initio spin dynamics simulation algorithm, we revealed the physics that can unify the progress in different experiments. We found that light-induced ultrafast spin transport in multilayer metallic films originates from the sp - d spin-exchange interaction, which can induce an ultrafast, large, and pure spin current from ferromagnetic metal to nonmagnetic metal without charge carrier transport. The resulting trends of spin demagnetization and spin flow are consistent with most experiments. It can explain a variety of ultrafast light-spin manipulation experiments with different systems and different pump-probe technologies, covering a wide range of work in this field.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Large Exchange Coupling Between Localized Spins and Topological Bands in MnBi 2 Te 4

Magnetism in topological materials creates phases exhibiting quantized transport phenomena with potential technological applications. The emergence of such phases relies on strong interaction between localized spins and the topological bands, and the consequent formation of an exchange gap. However, this remains experimentally unquantified in intrinsic magnetic topological materials. Here, this interaction is quantified in MnBi 2 Te 4 , a topological insulator with intrinsic antiferromagnetism. This is achieved by optically exciting Bi-Te p states comprising the bulk topological bands and interrogating the consequent Mn 3d spin dynamics, using a multimodal ultrafast approach. Ultrafast electron scattering and magneto-optic measurements show that the p states demagnetize via electron-phonon scattering at picosecond timescales. Despite being energetically decoupled from the optical excitation, the Mn 3d spins, probed by resonant X-ray scattering, are observed to disorder concurrently with the p spins. Together with atomistic simulations, this reveals that the exchange coupling between localized spins and the topological bands is at least 100 times larger than the superexchange interaction, implying an optimal exchange gap of at least 25 meV in the surface states. Here, by quantifying this exchange coupling, this study validates the materials-by-design strategy of utilizing localized magnetic order to manipulate topological phases, spanning static to ultrafast timescales.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Unifying femtosecond and picosecond single-pulse magnetic switching in Gd-Fe-Co

Many questions are still open regarding the physical mechanisms behind the magnetic switching in Gd-Fe-Co alloys by single optical pulses. Phenomenological models suggest a femtosecond scale exchange relaxation between sublattice magnetization as the driving mechanism for switching. The recent observation of thermally induced switching in Gd-Fe-Co by using both several picosecond optical laser pulse as well as electric current pulses has questioned this previous understanding. This has raised the question of whether or not the same switching mechanics are acting at the femtosecond and picosecond scales. In this work, we aim at filling this gap in the understanding of the switching mechanisms behind thermal single-pulse switching. To that end, we have studied experimentally thermal single-pulse switching in Gd-Fe-Co alloys, for a wide range of system parameters, such as composition, laser power, and pulse duration. We provide a quantitative description of the switching dynamics using atomistic spin dynamics methods with excellent agreement between the model and our experiments across a wide range of parameters and timescales, ranging from femtoseconds to picoseconds. Furthermore, we find distinct element-specific damping parameters as a key ingredient for switching with long picosecond pulses and argue that switching with pulse durations as long as 15 ps is possible due to a low damping constant of Gd. Our findings can be easily extended to speed up dynamics in other contexts where ferrimagnetic Gd-Fe-Co alloys have been already demonstrated to show fast and energy-efficient processes, e.g., domain-wall motion in a track and spin-orbit torque switching in spintronics devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nonthermal breaking of magnetic order via photogenerated spin defects in the spin-orbit coupled insulator Sr 3 Ir 2 O 7

In many strongly correlated insulators, antiferromagnetic order competes with exotic and technologically relevant phases, like superconductivity. While control of spin order is critical to stabilize different functional states, elucidating the mechanism of laser-induced demagnetization in complex oxides remains a challenge. It is unknown if the optical pulse can quench magnetization nonthermally or if it instead only acts as a heat source. In this study, we used ultrafast, broadband, optical spectroscopy to track the responses of the electronic, lattice, and spin degrees of freedom and their relation to antiferromagnetism in the strongly spin-orbit coupled insulator Sr 3 Ir 2 O 7 . We find that magnetization can be rapidly and strongly suppressed on a sub-150 fs timescale. At low excitation fluences, the magnetic recovery is fast; however, the recovery time increases dramatically with the magnitude of demagnetization. At the same time, we show that the lattice, evidenced through the A g phonon frequencies, appears to remain below T N , suggesting that the system remains nonthermal during the optical modulation of spin order. We suggest that photogenerated spin defects are responsible for the long-lived demagnetized state and discuss its implications for optical control of solids.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Anisotropic ultrafast spin dynamics in epitaxial cobalt

We investigate the ultrafast spin dynamics in an epitaxial hcp($1\bar100$) cobalt thin film. By performing pump–probe magneto-optical measurements with the magnetization along either the easy or hard magnetic axis, we determine the demagnetization and recovery time for the two axes. We observe an average of 33% slower dynamics along the easy magnetization axis, which we attribute to magneto-crystalline anisotropy of the electron–phonon coupling, supported by our ab initio calculations. This points toward an unambiguous and previously undisclosed role of anisotropic electron–lattice coupling in ultrafast magnetism.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Conservation of angular momentum in ultrafast spin dynamics

The total angular momentum of a closed system is a conserved quantity, which should remain constant in time for any excitation experiment once the pumping signal has been extinguished. Such conservation, however, is never satisfied in practice in any real-time first-principles description of the demagnetization process. Furthermore, there is growing experimental evidence that the same takes place in experiments. The missing angular momentum is usually associated to lattice vibrations, which are not measured experimentally and are never considered in real-time simulations. Here, in this study, we critically analyze the issue and conclude that current state-of-the-art simulations violate angular momentum conservation already at the electronic level of description. This shortcoming originates from an oversimplified description of the spin-orbit coupling, which includes atomic contributions but neglects completely that of itinerant electrons. We corroborate our findings with time-dependent simulations using model tight-binding Hamiltonians, and show that indeed such conservation can be reintroduced by an appropriate choice of spin-orbit coupling. The consequences of our findings on recent experiments are also discussed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Disentangling electronic, lattice, and spin dynamics in the chiral helimagnet Cr 1/3 NbS 2

We investigate the static and ultrafast magneto-optical response of the hexagonal chiral helimagnet Cr 1/3 NbS 2 above and below the helimagnetic ordering temperature. The presence of a magnetic easy plane contained within the crystallographic $ab$-plane is confirmed, while degenerate optical pump-probe experiments reveal significant differences in the dynamic between the parent, NbS 2 , and Cr-intercalated compounds. Time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements show a two-step demagnetization process, where an initial, subpicosecond relaxation and subsequent buildup (τ > 50ps) in the demagnetization dynamic scale similarly with increasing pump fluence. Despite theoretical evidence for partial gapping of the minority spin channel, suggestive of possible half-metallicity in Cr 1/3 NbS 2 , such a long demagnetization dynamic likely results from spin-lattice relaxation as opposed to minority state blocking. However, comparison of the two-step demagnetization process in Cr 1/3 NbS 2 with other 3d intercalated transition metal dichalcogenides reveals a behavior that is unexpected from conventional spin-lattice relaxation, and may be attributed to the complicated interaction of local moments with itinerant electrons in this material system.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

X-ray detection of ultrashort spin current pulses in synthetic antiferromagnets

Here, we explore the ultrafast generation of spin currents in magnetic multilayer samples by applying fs laser pulses to one layer and measuring the magnetic response in the other layer by element-resolved x-ray spectroscopy. In Ni(5 nm)/Ru(2 nm)/Fe(4 nm), the Ni and Fe magnetization directions couple antiferromagnetically due to the Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida interaction but may be oriented parallel through an applied magnetic field. After exciting the top Ni layer with a fs laser pulse, we also find that the Fe layer underneath demagnetizes, with a 4.1±1.9% amplitude difference between parallel and antiparallel orientation of the Ni and Fe magnetizations. We attribute this difference to the influence of a spin current generated by the fs laser pulse that transfers angular momentum from the Ni into the Fe layer. Our results confirm that superdiffusive spin transport plays a role in determining the sub-ps demagnetization dynamics of synthetic antiferromagnetic layers, but also evidence large depolarization effects due to hot electron dynamics, which are independent of the relative alignment of the magnetization in Ni and Fe.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗