Photoinduced Transient States of Antiferromagnetic Orderings in La${}_{1/3}$Sr${}_{2/3}$FeO${}_{3}$ and SrFeO${}_{3}$ Thin Films Observed through Time-resolved Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering

TL;DR

This study explores how ultrafast laser pulses can manipulate antiferromagnetic orderings in La${}_{1/3}$Sr${}_{2/3}$FeO${}_{3}$ and SrFeO${}_{3}$ thin films, revealing charge transfer as a key mechanism for rapid spin dynamics.

Contribution

It demonstrates that photoinduced charge transfer can efficiently control antiferromagnetic orderings in perovskite thin films, providing insights into ultrafast spin manipulation.

Findings

Ultrafast quenching of magnetic order within 130 fs in La${}_{1/3}$Sr${}_{2/3}$FeO${}_{3}$.

Charge transfer triggers nonthermal spin dynamics.

Optically induced charge transfer enhances spin-order control.

Abstract

The relationship between the magnetic interaction and photoinduced dynamics in antiferromagnetic perovskites is investigated in this study. In La${}_{1/3}$Sr${}_{2/3}$FeO${}_{3}$ thin films, commensurate spin ordering is accompanied by charge disproportionation, whereas SrFeO${}_{3}$ thin films show incommensurate helical antiferromagnetic spin ordering due to increased ferromagnetic coupling compared to La${}_{1/3}$Sr${}_{2/3}$FeO${}_{3}$. To understand the photoinduced spin dynamics in these materials, we investigate the spin ordering through time-resolved resonant soft X-ray scattering. In La${}_{1/3}$Sr${}_{2/3}$FeO${}_{3}$, ultrafast quenching of the magnetic ordering within 130 fs through a nonthermal process is observed, triggered by charge transfer between the Fe atoms. We compare this to the photoinduced dynamics of the helical magnetic ordering of SrFeO${}_{3}$. We find that the change in the magnetic coupling through optically induced charge transfer can offer an even more efficient channel for spin-order manipulation.