Reversible optical switching of antiferromagnetism in TbMnO3
Reversible optical switching of antiferromagnetism in TbMnO3
复制标题
DOI：
10.1038/nphoton.2016.146
复制
发表时间：
2016-10-01
期刊：
影响因子：
35
通讯作者：
Fiebig, Manfred
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Manz, Sebastian;Matsubara, Masakazu;Fiebig, Manfred
激光可用于通过光学驱动的热和电子激发来控制铁磁体的磁化（1-5）。由于对反铁磁性的技术兴趣日益增加，将这一概念转移到反铁磁体是有吸引力的（6）。然而，控制反铁磁体中的自旋结构是具有挑战性的，因为它们的磁化强度为零。在一个证明的原则实验，我们证明，反铁磁畴的光学控制是可能的。我们反复反转多铁性TbMnO 3中的反铁磁序参数，使用两种不同颜色的光脉冲。开关依赖于光的波长，其光吸收和由TbMnO 3的反铁磁顺序引起的电极化场之间的独特关系。然后，我们展示了顺序的激光控制的反铁磁畴的写入和擦除。利用蒙特卡罗模拟方法，导出了可逆光反铁磁开关的普适性。因此，光磁性得到了一个重要的自由度的补充，即通过光对反铁磁性进行局部控制。
Lasers can be used to control the magnetization of a ferromagnet via optically driven thermal and electronic excitation(1-5). Transfer of this concept to antiferromagnets is appealing because of the increasing technological interest in antiferromagnetism(6). Controlling spin structures in antiferromagnets is challenging, however, because of their zero magnetization. In a proof-of principle experiment we demonstrate that optical control of antiferromagnetic domains is nevertheless possible. We reverse the antiferromagnetic order parameter in multiferroic TbMnO3 repeatedly, using light pulses of two different colours. Switching depends on a unique relation between the wavelength of the light, its optical absorption and the electric polarization field induced by the antiferromagnetic order of TbMnO3. We then demonstrate sequential laser-controlled writing and erasure of antiferromagnetic domains. The universality of reversible optical antiferromagnetic switching is derived by Monte Carlo simulations. Opto-magnetism is thus complemented by an important degree of freedom, namely local control of antiferromagnetism by means of light.