All-optical reversible switching of local magnetization

Fundamental mechanism for all-optical helicity-dependent switching of magnetization

Switching magnetizations with femtosecond circularly polarized lasers may have revolutionary impacts on magnetic data storage and relevant applications. Achievements in ferrimagnetic and ferromagnetic materials of various structures strongly imply a general phenomenon of fundamental atom-laser interaction. Rotating an atom's wave function with the rotating electric field of a circularly polariz...

Deterministic character of all-optical magnetization switching in GdFe-based ferrimagnetic alloys

Nanoscale sub-100 picosecond all-optical magnetization switching in GdFeCo microstructures.

Ultrafast magnetization reversal driven by femtosecond laser pulses has been shown to be a promising way to write information. Seeking to improve the recording density has raised intriguing fundamental questions about the feasibility of combining ultrafast temporal resolution with sub-wavelength spatial resolution for magnetic recording. Here we report on the experimental demonstration of nanos...

All-optical magnetization switching in ferrimagnetic alloys: deterministic vs thermally activated dynamics

Using photo-emission electron microscopy with X-ray magnetic circular dichroism as a contrast mechanism, new insights into the all-optical magnetization switching (AOS) phenomenon in GdFe based rare-earth transition metal ferrimagnetic alloys are provided. From a sequence of static images taken after single linearly polarized laser pulse excitation, the repeatability of AOS can be measured with...

All-optical switching with transverse optical patterns

We demonstrate an all-optical switch that operates at ultra-low-light levels and exhibits several features necessary for use in optical switching networks. An input switching beam, wavelength , with an energy density of 10−2 photons per optical cross section = 2 / 2 changes the orientation of a two-spot pattern generated via parametric instability in warm rubidium vapor. The instability is indu...