15 research outputs found
Magneto-optical properties of Au upon the injection of hot spin-polarized electrons across Fe/Au(001) interfaces
We demonstrate a novel method for the excitation of sizable magneto-optical
effects in Au by means of the laser-induced injection of hot spin-polarized
electrons in Au/Fe/MgO(001) heterostructures. It is based on the energy- and
spin-dependent electron transmittance of Fe/Au interface which acts as a spin
filter for non-thermalized electrons optically excited in Fe. We show that
after crossing the interface, majority electrons propagate through the Au layer
with the velocity on the order of 1 nm/fs (close to the Fermi velocity) and the
decay length on the order of 100 nm. Featuring ultrafast functionality and
requiring no strong external magnetic fields, spin injection results in a
distinct magneto-optical response of Au. We develop a formalism based on the
phase of the transient complex MOKE response and demonstrate its robustness in
a plethora of experimental and theoretical MOKE studies on Au, including our ab
initio calculations. Our work introduces a flexible tool to manipulate
magneto-optical properties of metals on the femtosecond timescale that holds
high potential for active magneto-photonics, plasmonics, and spintronics
Ultrafast Non-local Spin Dynamics in Metallic Bi-Layers by Linear and Non-linear Magneto-Optics
We make a step towards the understanding of spin dynamics induced by spin-polarized hot carriers in metals. Exciting the Fe layer of Au/Fe/MgO(001) structures with femtosecond laser pulses, we demonstrate the ultrafast spin transport from Fe into Au using time-resolved MOKE and mSHG for depth-sensitive detection of the transient magnetization
Ultrafast Laser-Excited Spin Transport in Au/Fe/MgO(001): Relevance of the Fe Layer Thickness
Propagation dynamics of spin-dependent optical excitations is investigated by back-pump front-probe experiments in Au/Fe/MgO(001). We observe a decrease for all pump-probe signals detected at the Au surface, if the Fe thickness in increased. Relaxation processes within Fe limit the emission region of ballistic spins at the Fe/Au interface to ~1 nm
Analysis of the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect for ultrafast magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic thin films
We discuss fundamental aspects of laser-induced ultrafast demagnetization probed by the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). Studying thin Fe films on MgO substrate in the absence of electronic transport, we demonstrate how to disentangle pump-induced variations of magnetization and magneto-optical coefficients. We provide a mathematical formalism for retrieving genuine laser-induced magnetization dynamics and discuss its applicability in real experimental situations. We further stress the importance of temporal resolution achieved in the experiments and argue that measurements of both time-resolved MOKE rotation and ellipticity are needed for the correct assessment of magnetization dynamics on sub-picosecond timescales. The framework developed here sheds light onto the details of the time-resolved MOKE technique and contributes to the understanding of the interplay between ultrafast laser-induced optical and magnetic effects