
The interaction of sub-picosecond laser pulses with magnetically ordered
materials has developed into an extremely exciting research topic in modern
magnetism and spintronics. From the discovery of sub-picosecond
demagnetization over a decade ago to the recent demonstration of magnetization
reversal by a single 40 femtosecond laser pulse, the manipulation of spins by
ultra short laser pulses has become a fundamentally challenging topic with a
potentially high impact for future spintronics, data storage and manipulation
and quantum computation.
We have recently demonstrated that one can generate ultrashort and very strong
(~Tesla’s) magnetic field pulses via the so called Inverse Faraday Effect.
Such optically induced magnetic field pulses provide unprecedented means for
the generation, manipulation and coherent control of spins on very short time
scales. The basic ideas behind these so-called opto-magnetic effects will be
discussed and illustrated with recent results, demonstrating the various
possibilities of this new field of opto-spintronics
A.V.Kimel, A. Kirilyuk, P.A.Usachev, R.V. Pisarev, A.M. Balbashov and
Th.Rasing, Ultarfast nonthermal control of magnetization by instantaneous
photomagnetic pulses, Nature 435 (2005), 655-657
C.D. Stanciu, F.Hansteen, A.V. Kimel, A. Kirilyuk, A. Tsukamoto, A. Itoh and
Th.Rasing, All-optical Magnetic Recording with Circularly polarized Light,
Phys.Rev.Lett.99, 047601 (2007)
A.V. Kimel B.A. Ivanov, R.V. Pisarev, P.A. Usachev, A. Kirilyuk and Th.Rasing,
Inertia-driven spin switching in antiferromagnets, Nature Physics, August 23,
2009
K.Vahaplar, A.M. Kalashnikova, A.V. Kimel, D. Hinzke, U. Nowak, R. Chantrell,
A. Tsukamoto, A. Ithoh, A. Kirilyuk and Th.Rasing, Phys.Rev.Lett.103, 117201
(2009)