Understanding how fast short-range interactions build up long-range order is one of the most intriguing topics in condensed matter physics. FeRh is a test specimen for studying this problem in magnetism, where the microscopic spin-spin exchange interaction is ultimately responsible for either ferro- or antiferromagnetic macroscopic order. Femtosecond laser excitation can induce ferromagnetism in antiferromagnetic FeRh, but the mechanism and dynamics of this transition are topics of intense debates. Employing double-pump THz emission spectroscopy has enabled us to dramatically increase the temporal detection window of THz emission probes of transient states without sacrificing any loss of resolution or sensitivity. It allows us to study the kinetics of emergent ferromagnetism from the femtosecond up to the nanosecond timescales in FeRh/Pt bilayers. Our results strongly suggest a latency period between the initial pump-excitation and the emission of THz radiation by ferromagnetic nuclei.
The antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition occurring above room temperature in FeRh is attracting interest for applications in spintronics, with perspectives for robust and untraceable data storage. Here, we show that FeRh films can be grown on a flexible metallic substrate (tape shaped), coated with a textured rock-salt MgO layer, suitable for large scale applications. The FeRh tape displays a sharp antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition at about 90 oC. Its magnetic properties are preserved by bending (radii of 300 mm), and their anisotropic magnetoresistance (up to 0.05 %) is u…
We use \textit{ab-initio} calculations to investigate spin-orbit torques (SOTs) in FeRh(001) deposited on W(100). Since FeRh undergoes a ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic phase transition close to room temperature, we consider both phases of FeRh. In the antiferromagnetic case we find that the effective magnetic field of the even torque is staggered and therefore ideal to induce magnetization dynamics or to switch the antiferromagnet (AFM). At the antiferromagnetic resonance the inverse SOT induces a current density, which can be determined from the SOT. In the ferromagnetic case our calculation…
Propagation of laser-generated GHz surface acoustic wavepackets in FeRh/MgO(001) below and above the antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition
Ioffe Institute（约费研究所）；P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the RAS（俄罗斯科学院列别捷夫物理研究所）；Institute of Metal Physics of the Ural Branch of the RAS（俄罗斯科学院乌拉尔分支金属物理研究所）；Lomonosov Moscow State University（莫斯科国立罗蒙诺索夫大学）
We report on the depth dependence and technological limits of the phase transition of the iron rhodium alloy as function of temperature, external magnetic and electric fields in the FeRh/BaTiO3 multiferroic, determined by grazing-incidence nuclear resonant scattering measurements. The change of temperature induces a continuous and homogenous antiferromagnetic / ferromagnetic phase transition through the entire FeRh layer, except in the near substrate region. External magnetic field does not affect this mechanism, but the application of electric field changes it fundamentally (via piezoelectric…
Antiferromagnets with tunable phase transitions are promising for future spintronics applications. We investigated spin-dependent transport properties of FeRh thin films, which show a temperature driven antiferromagnetic-to-ferromagnetic phase transition. Epitaxial FeRh films grown on MgO (001) substrates exhibit a clear magnetic and electronic phase transition. By performing anomalous Hall and anomalous Nernst effect measurements over a wide range of temperatures, we demonstrate that the thermally driven transition shows distinctly different transverse transport on both side of the phase tran…
The FeRh alloy is an attractive material for studies of magnetic first-order phase transitions. The phase transition in FeRh from an antiferromagnetic to the ferromagnetic state is accompanied by the nucleation, growth, and merging of ferromagnetic clusters. The ferromagnetic phase evolution is studied in detail, and its various stages are distinguished. Both static properties and phase transition kinetics (time dependences of magnetization) are investigated. A comprehensive analysis allows us to determine the ferromagnetic phase nucleation regions and the main features of phase growth. In add…
Antiferromagnets exhibit distinctive characteristics such as ultrafast dynamics and robustness against perturbative fields, thereby attracting considerable interest in fundamental physics and technological applications. Recently, it was revealed that the Néel vector can be switched by a current-induced staggered (Néel) spin-orbit torque in antiferromagnets with the parity-time symmetry, and furthermore, a nonsymmorphic symmetry enables the control of Dirac fermions. However, the real-time dynamics of the magnetic and electronic structures remain largely unexplored. Here, we propose a theory of…
We report the ultrafast, (sub)picosecond reduction of the antiferromagnetic order of the insulating NiO thin film in a Pt/NiO bilayer. This reduction of the antiferromagnetic order is not present in pure NiO thin films after a strong optical excitation. This ultrafast phenomenon is attributed to an ultrafast and highly efficient energy transfer from the optically excited electron system of the Pt layer into the NiO spin system. We propose that this energy transfer is mediated by a stochastic exchange scattering of hot Pt electrons at the Pt/NiO interface.
Dislocation-Driven Nucleation Type Switching Across Repeated Ultrafast Magnetostructural Phase Transition
CEITEC BUT, Brno University of Technology（布尔诺理工大学 CEITEC 中心）；Institute of Physics (IPHYS), Laboratory for Ultrafast Microscopy and Electron Scattering (LUMES), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)（洛桑联邦理工学院物理研究所超快显微镜与电子散射实验室）；Institute of Physical Engineering, Brno University of Technology（布尔诺理工大学物理工程学院）；Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca（米兰比可卡大学）
