Ultrafast Magnon Generation in an Fe Film on Cu(100)

A. B. Schmidt, M. Pickel, M. Donath, P. Buczek, A. Ernst, V. P. Zhukov, P. M. Echenique, L. M. Sandratskii, E. V. Chulkov, and M. Weinelt
Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 197401 – Published 5 November 2010

Abstract

We report on a combined experimental and theoretical study of the spin-dependent relaxation processes in the electron system of an iron film on Cu(100). Spin-, time-, energy- and angle-resolved two-photon photoemission shows a strong characteristic dependence of the lifetime of photoexcited electrons on their spin and energy. Ab initio calculations as well as a many-body treatment corroborate that the observed properties are determined by relaxation processes involving magnon emission. Thereby we demonstrate that magnon emission by hot electrons occurs on the femtosecond time scale and thus provides a significant source of ultrafast spin-flip processes. Furthermore, engineering of the magnon spectrum paves the way for tuning the dynamic properties of magnetic materials.

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  • Received 4 December 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.197401

© 2010 The American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

A. B. Schmidt1,2,*, M. Pickel1,2, M. Donath2, P. Buczek3, A. Ernst3, V. P. Zhukov4, P. M. Echenique5, L. M. Sandratskii3, E. V. Chulkov5, and M. Weinelt1

  • 1Max-Born-Institut, Max-Born-Straße 2A, 12489 Berlin, Germany and Freie Universität Berlin, Fachbereich Physik, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany
  • 2Physikalisches Institut, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Wilhelm-Klemm-Straße 10, 48149 Münster, Germany
  • 3Max-Planck-Institut für Mikrostrukturphysik, Weinberg 2, 06120 Halle, Germany
  • 4Institute of the Solid State Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pervomayskaya 91, 620219, Yekaterinburg, Russia
  • 5Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Departamento de Física de Materiales, UPV/EHU, and Centro de Física de Materiales CFM - MPC, Centro Mixto CSIC-UPV/EHU, San Sebastián, 20018 San Sebastian, Spain

  • *anke.schmidt@uni-muenster.de

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Vol. 105, Iss. 19 — 5 November 2010

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