• Open Access

Role of Magnetic Circular Dichroism in All-Optical Magnetic Recording

A. R. Khorsand, M. Savoini, A. Kirilyuk, A. V. Kimel, A. Tsukamoto, A. Itoh, and Th. Rasing
Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 127205 – Published 20 March 2012
PDFHTMLExport Citation

Abstract

Using magneto-optical microscopy in combination with ellipsometry measurements, we show that all-optical switching with polarized femtosecond laser pulses in ferrimagnetic GdFeCo is subjected to a threshold fluence absorbed in the magnetic layer, independent of either the excitation wavelength or the polarization of the laser pulse. Furthermore, we present a quantitative explanation of the intensity window in which all-optical helicity-dependent switching (AO-HDS) occurs, based on magnetic circular dichroism. This explanation is consistent with all the experimental findings on AO-HDS so far, varying from single- to multiple-shot experiments. The presented results give a solid understanding of the origin of AO-HDS, and give novel insights into the physics of ultrafast, laser controlled magnetism.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 22 August 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.127205

This article is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

© 2012 Published by the American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

A. R. Khorsand1,*, M. Savoini1, A. Kirilyuk1, A. V. Kimel1, A. Tsukamoto2,3, A. Itoh2, and Th. Rasing1

  • 1Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
  • 2College of Science and Technology, Nihon University, 7-24-1 Funabashi, Chiba, Japan
  • 3PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan

  • *s.khorsand@science.ru.nl

Article Text

Click to Expand

Supplemental Material

Click to Expand

References

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 108, Iss. 12 — 23 March 2012

Reuse & Permissions
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Letters

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

×

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×