Optically controlling the competition between spin flips and intersite spin transfer in a Heusler half-metal on sub-100-fs time scalesShow others and affiliations
2023 (English)In: Science Advances, E-ISSN 2375-2548, Vol. 9, no 45, p. 1428-Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The direct manipulation of spins via light may provide a path toward ultrafast energy-efficient devices. However, distinguishing the microscopic processes that can occur during ultrafast laser excitation in magnetic alloys is challenging. Here, we study the Heusler compound Co2MnGa, a material that exhibits very strong light-induced spin transfers across the entire M-edge. By combining the element specificity of extreme ultraviolet high-harmonic probes with time-dependent density functional theory, we disentangle the competition between three ultrafast light-induced processes that occur in Co2MnGa: same-site Co-Co spin transfer, intersite Co-Mn spin transfer, and ultrafast spin flips mediated by spin-orbit coupling. By measuring the dynamic magnetic asymmetry across the entire M-edges of the two magnetic sublattices involved, we uncover the relative dominance of these processes at different probe energy regions and times during the laser pulse. Our combined approach enables a comprehensive microscopic interpretation of laser-induced magnetization dynamics on time scales shorter than 100 femtoseconds.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) , 2023. Vol. 9, no 45, p. 1428-
National Category
Condensed Matter Physics Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-340110DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi1428ISI: 001142520500002PubMedID: 37948525Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85176433605OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-340110DiVA, id: diva2:1815197
Note
QC 20231128
2023-11-282023-11-282024-02-21Bibliographically approved