Light-wave dynamic control of magnetism

Florian Siegrist, Julia A. Gessner, Marcus Ossiander, Christian Denker, Yi-Ping Chang, Malte C. Schröder, Alexander Guggenmos, Yang Cui, Jakob Walowski, Ulrike Martens, J. K. Dewhurst, Ulf Kleineberg, Markus Münzenberg, Sangeeta Sharma and Martin Schultze ()
Additional contact information
Florian Siegrist: Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics
Julia A. Gessner: Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics
Marcus Ossiander: Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics
Christian Denker: Universität Greifswald
Yi-Ping Chang: Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics
Malte C. Schröder: Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics
Alexander Guggenmos: Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics
Yang Cui: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Jakob Walowski: Universität Greifswald
Ulrike Martens: Universität Greifswald
J. K. Dewhurst: Max Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy
Ulf Kleineberg: Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics
Markus Münzenberg: Universität Greifswald
Sangeeta Sharma: Max-Planck-Institute of Microstructure Physics
Martin Schultze: Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics

Nature, 2019, vol. 571, issue 7764, 240-244

Abstract: Abstract The enigmatic interplay between electronic and magnetic phenomena observed in many early experiments and outlined in Maxwell’s equations propelled the development of modern electromagnetism1. Today, the fully controlled evolution of the electric field of ultrashort laser pulses enables the direct and ultrafast tuning of the electronic properties of matter, which is the cornerstone of light-wave electronics2–7. By contrast, owing to the lack of first-order interaction between light and spin, the magnetic properties of matter can only be affected indirectly and on much longer timescales, through a sequence of optical excitations and subsequent rearrangement of the spin structure8–16. Here we introduce the regime of ultrafast coherent magnetism and show how the magnetic properties of a ferromagnetic layer stack can be manipulated directly by the electric-field oscillations of light, reducing the magnetic response time to an external stimulus by two orders of magnitude. To track the unfolding dynamics in real time, we develop an attosecond time-resolved magnetic circular dichroism detection scheme, revealing optically induced spin and orbital momentum transfer in synchrony with light-field-driven coherent charge relocation17. In tandem with ab initio quantum dynamical modelling, we show how this mechanism enables the simultaneous control of electronic and magnetic properties that are essential for spintronic functionality. Our study unveils light-field coherent control of spin dynamics and macroscopic magnetic moments in the initial non-dissipative temporal regime and establishes optical frequencies as the speed limit of future coherent spintronic applications, spin transistors and data storage media.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1333-x

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