Laser-induced coherent spin change due to spin-orbit coupling
Abstract Direct light-spin interactions, induced by spin-orbit coupling (SOC), enable ultrafast spin manipulation through coherent spin excitation, which is universal in magnetic materials due to the ubiquity of SOC. Despite earlier reports, coherent spin excitation has been overlooked, because of t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | npj Spintronics |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44306-024-00064-x |
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| author | In Cheol Yu Jung Hyun Oh Je-Ho Shim Kab-Jin Kim Byong-Guk Park Dong-Hyun Kim Kyoung-Whan Kim Hyun-Woo Lee Kyung-Jin Lee Fabian Rotermund |
| author_facet | In Cheol Yu Jung Hyun Oh Je-Ho Shim Kab-Jin Kim Byong-Guk Park Dong-Hyun Kim Kyoung-Whan Kim Hyun-Woo Lee Kyung-Jin Lee Fabian Rotermund |
| author_sort | In Cheol Yu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Direct light-spin interactions, induced by spin-orbit coupling (SOC), enable ultrafast spin manipulation through coherent spin excitation, which is universal in magnetic materials due to the ubiquity of SOC. Despite earlier reports, coherent spin excitation has been overlooked, because of the challenges of interpreting magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) signals and the assumption of optical dipole transitions. By combining time-resolved MOKE measurements with density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that a transient MOKE peak during laser pulse includes coherent spin excitation. We observe a pronounced transient MOKE peak in Co/Pt bilayer and a weaker one in Co single layer across different probe beam wavelengths. Theoretical calculations reveal that the Co/Pt peak includes contributions from both coherent spin excitation and nonlocal transport whereas the Co peak contains the contribution from the coherent spin excitation exclusively, which is governed by anti-crossing physics. Our findings highlight the SOC-mediated coherent spin dynamics, advancing ultrafast spintronic technology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c48305ac0c3c4bee933c8847e50af17d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2948-2119 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Spintronics |
| spelling | doaj-art-c48305ac0c3c4bee933c8847e50af17d2025-02-09T12:09:29ZengNature Portfolionpj Spintronics2948-21192025-02-01311810.1038/s44306-024-00064-xLaser-induced coherent spin change due to spin-orbit couplingIn Cheol Yu0Jung Hyun Oh1Je-Ho Shim2Kab-Jin Kim3Byong-Guk Park4Dong-Hyun Kim5Kyoung-Whan Kim6Hyun-Woo Lee7Kyung-Jin Lee8Fabian Rotermund9Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)Department of Physics and Center for Attosecond Science and Technology, POSTECHDepartment of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)Department of Physics, Chungbuk National UniversityCenter of Spintronics, Korea Institute of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Physics, Pohang University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)Abstract Direct light-spin interactions, induced by spin-orbit coupling (SOC), enable ultrafast spin manipulation through coherent spin excitation, which is universal in magnetic materials due to the ubiquity of SOC. Despite earlier reports, coherent spin excitation has been overlooked, because of the challenges of interpreting magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) signals and the assumption of optical dipole transitions. By combining time-resolved MOKE measurements with density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that a transient MOKE peak during laser pulse includes coherent spin excitation. We observe a pronounced transient MOKE peak in Co/Pt bilayer and a weaker one in Co single layer across different probe beam wavelengths. Theoretical calculations reveal that the Co/Pt peak includes contributions from both coherent spin excitation and nonlocal transport whereas the Co peak contains the contribution from the coherent spin excitation exclusively, which is governed by anti-crossing physics. Our findings highlight the SOC-mediated coherent spin dynamics, advancing ultrafast spintronic technology.https://doi.org/10.1038/s44306-024-00064-x |
| spellingShingle | In Cheol Yu Jung Hyun Oh Je-Ho Shim Kab-Jin Kim Byong-Guk Park Dong-Hyun Kim Kyoung-Whan Kim Hyun-Woo Lee Kyung-Jin Lee Fabian Rotermund Laser-induced coherent spin change due to spin-orbit coupling npj Spintronics |
| title | Laser-induced coherent spin change due to spin-orbit coupling |
| title_full | Laser-induced coherent spin change due to spin-orbit coupling |
| title_fullStr | Laser-induced coherent spin change due to spin-orbit coupling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Laser-induced coherent spin change due to spin-orbit coupling |
| title_short | Laser-induced coherent spin change due to spin-orbit coupling |
| title_sort | laser induced coherent spin change due to spin orbit coupling |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44306-024-00064-x |
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