Single pulse all-optical toggle switching of magnetization without gadolinium in the ferrimagnet Mn<sub>2</sub>Ru<sub>x</sub>Ga.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32895392.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-18340-9 and PMC identifier 7477543.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Energy-efficient control of magnetization without the help of a magnetic field is a key goal of spintronics. Purely heat-induced single-pulse all-optical toggle switching has been demonstrated, but so far only in Gd-based amorphous ferrimagnet films. In this work, we demonstrate toggle switching in films of the half-metallic ferrimagnetic Heusler alloys Mn<sub>2</sub>Ru<sub>x</sub>Ga, which have two crystallographically-inequivalent Mn sublattices. Moreover, we observe the switching at room temperature in samples that are immune to external magnetic fields in excess of 1 T, provided they exhibit a compensation point above room temperature. Observation of the effect in compensated ferrimagnets without Gd challenges our understanding of all-optical switching. The dynamic behavior indicates that Mn<sub>2</sub>Ru<sub>x</sub>Ga switches in 2 ps or less. Our findings widen the basis for fast optical switching of magnetization and break new ground for engineered materials that can be used for nonvolatile ultrafast switches using ultrashort pulses of light.