Laser-induced ultrafast demagnetization in the presence of a nanoscale magnetic domain network

Boris Vodungbo (), Julien Gautier, Guillaume Lambert, Anna Barszczak Sardinha, Magali Lozano, Stéphane Sebban, Mathieu Ducousso, Willem Boutu, Kaigong Li, Bharati Tudu, Marina Tortarolo, Ranjit Hawaldar, Renaud Delaunay, Victor López-Flores, Jacek Arabski, Christine Boeglin, Hamed Merdji, Philippe Zeitoun and Jan Lüning
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Boris Vodungbo: Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée, ENSTA ParisTech—CNRS UMR 7639—École polytechnique
Julien Gautier: Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée, ENSTA ParisTech—CNRS UMR 7639—École polytechnique
Guillaume Lambert: Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée, ENSTA ParisTech—CNRS UMR 7639—École polytechnique
Anna Barszczak Sardinha: Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée, ENSTA ParisTech—CNRS UMR 7639—École polytechnique
Magali Lozano: Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée, ENSTA ParisTech—CNRS UMR 7639—École polytechnique
Stéphane Sebban: Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée, ENSTA ParisTech—CNRS UMR 7639—École polytechnique
Mathieu Ducousso: CEA-Saclay, IRAMIS, Service des Photons, Atomes et Molécules
Willem Boutu: CEA-Saclay, IRAMIS, Service des Photons, Atomes et Molécules
Kaigong Li: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique—Matière et Rayonnement, Université Pierre et Marie Curie—CNRS UMR 7614
Bharati Tudu: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique—Matière et Rayonnement, Université Pierre et Marie Curie—CNRS UMR 7614
Marina Tortarolo: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique—Matière et Rayonnement, Université Pierre et Marie Curie—CNRS UMR 7614
Ranjit Hawaldar: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique—Matière et Rayonnement, Université Pierre et Marie Curie—CNRS UMR 7614
Renaud Delaunay: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique—Matière et Rayonnement, Université Pierre et Marie Curie—CNRS UMR 7614
Victor López-Flores: Institut de Physique et de Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7504—Université de Strasbourg
Jacek Arabski: Institut de Physique et de Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7504—Université de Strasbourg
Christine Boeglin: Institut de Physique et de Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7504—Université de Strasbourg
Hamed Merdji: CEA-Saclay, IRAMIS, Service des Photons, Atomes et Molécules
Philippe Zeitoun: Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée, ENSTA ParisTech—CNRS UMR 7639—École polytechnique
Jan Lüning: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique—Matière et Rayonnement, Université Pierre et Marie Curie—CNRS UMR 7614

Nature Communications, 2012, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract Femtosecond magnetization phenomena have been challenging our understanding for over a decade. Most experiments have relied on infrared femtosecond lasers, limiting the spatial resolution to a few micrometres. With the advent of femtosecond X-ray sources, nanometric resolution can now be reached, which matches key length scales in femtomagnetism such as the travelling length of excited 'hot' electrons on a femtosecond timescale. Here we study laser-induced ultrafast demagnetization in [Co/Pd]30 multilayer films, which, for the first time, achieves a spatial resolution better than 100 nm by using femtosecond soft X-ray pulses. This allows us to follow the femtosecond demagnetization process in a magnetic system consisting of alternating nanometric domains of opposite magnetization. No modification of the magnetic structure is observed, but, in comparison with uniformly magnetized systems of similar composition, we find a significantly faster demagnetization time. We argue that this may be caused by direct transfer of spin angular momentum between neighbouring domains.

Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2007

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