42,658 research outputs found
Is perpendicular magnetic anisotropy essential to all-optical ultrafast spin reversal in ferromagnets?
All-optical spin reversal presents a new opportunity for spin manipulations,
free of a magnetic field. Most of all-optical-spin-reversal ferromagnets are
found to have a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), but it has been
unknown whether PMA is necessary for the spin reversal. Here we theoretically
investigate magnetic thin films with either PMA or in-plane magnetic anisotropy
(IMA). Our results show that the spin reversal in IMA systems is possible, but
only with a longer laser pulse and within a narrow laser parameter region. The
spin reversal does not show a strong helicity dependence where the left- and
right-circularly polarized light lead to the identical results. By contrast,
the spin reversal in PMA systems is robust, provided both the spin angular
momentum and laser field are strong enough while the magnetic anisotropy itself
is not too strong. This explains why experimentally the majority of all-optical
spin-reversal samples are found to have strong PMA and why spins in Fe
nanoparticles only cant out of plane. It is the laser-induced spin-orbit torque
that plays a key role in the spin reversal. Surprisingly, the same spin-orbit
torque results in laser-induced spin rectification in spin-mixed configuration,
a prediction that can be tested experimentally. Our results clearly point out
that PMA is essential to the spin reversal, though there is an opportunity for
in-plane spin reversal.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures and one tabl
Switching ferromagnetic spins by an ultrafast laser pulse: Emergence of giant optical spin-orbit torque
Faster magnetic recording technology is indispensable to massive data storage
and big data sciences. {All-optical spin switching offers a possible solution},
but at present it is limited to a handful of expensive and complex rare-earth
ferrimagnets. The spin switching in more abundant ferromagnets may
significantly expand the scope of all-optical spin switching. Here by studying
40,000 ferromagnetic spins, we show that it is the optical spin-orbit torque
that determines the course of spin switching in both ferromagnets and
ferrimagnets. Spin switching occurs only if the effective spin angular momentum
of each constituent in an alloy exceeds a critical value. Because of the strong
exchange coupling, the spin switches much faster in ferromagnets than
weakly-coupled ferrimagnets. This establishes a paradigm for all-optical spin
switching. The resultant magnetic field (65 T) is so big that it will
significantly reduce high current in spintronics, thus representing the
beginning of photospintronics.Comment: 12 page2, 6 figures. Accepted to Europhysics Letters (2016). Extended
version with the supplementary information. Contribution from Indiana State
University,Europhysics Letters (2016
Laser-induced spin protection and switching in a specially designed magnetic dot: A theoretical investigation
Most laser-induced femtosecond magnetism investigations are done in magnetic
thin films. Nanostructured magnetic dots, with their reduced dimensionality,
present new opportunities for spin manipulation. Here we predict that if a
magnetic dot has a dipole-forbidden transition between the lowest occupied
molecular orbital (LUMO) and the highest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO),
but a dipole-allowed transition between LUMO+1 and HOMO, electromagnetically
inducedtransparency can be used to prevent ultrafast laser-induced spin
momentum reduction, or spin protection. This is realized through a strong dump
pulse to funnel the population into LUMO+1. If the time delay between the pump
and dump pulses is longer than 60 fs, a population inversion starts and spin
switching is achieved. Thesepredictions are detectable experimentally.Comment: 6 pages, three figur
Relativistic Precessing Jets and Cosmological Gamma Ray Bursts
We discuss the possibility that gamma-ray bursts may result from cosmological
relativistic blob emitting neutron star jets that precess past the line of
sight. Beaming reduces the energy requirements, so that the jet emission can
last longer than the observed burst duration. One precession mode maintains a
short duration time scale, while a second keeps the beam from returning to the
line of sight, consistent with the paucity of repeaters. The long life of these
objects reduces the number required for production as compared to short lived
jets. Blobs can account for the time structure of the bursts. Here we focus
largely on kinematic and time scale considerations of beaming, precession, and
blobs--issues which are reasonably independent of the acceleration and jet
collimation mechanisms. We do suggest that large amplitude electro-magnetic
waves could be a source of blob acceleration.Comment: 15 pages, plain TeX, accepted to ApJ
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