Picosecond creation of switchable optomagnets with giant photoinduced Kerr rotations in polar antiferromagnetic (Fe$_{1-x}$Zn$_{x}$)$_{2}$Mo$_{3}$O$_{8}$

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates ultrafast, switchable optomagnet effects in polar antiferromagnetic (Fe$_{1-x}$Zn$_{x}$)$_{2}$Mo$_{3}$O$_{8}$, enabling tunable magnetization through circularly polarized laser pulses without magnetic fields, advancing antiferromagnetic spintronics.

Contribution

It introduces a method to induce and control giant photoinduced Kerr rotations in polar antiferromagnets using laser pulses, exploiting their broken inversion symmetry and phase competition.

Findings

Achieved tunable magnetization from -40% to 40% of saturation.

Demonstrated long-lived photoinduced Kerr rotations.

Controlled spin states without magnetic fields.

Abstract

On-demand spin orientation with long polarized lifetime and easily detectable signal is an ultimate goal for spintronics. However, there still exists a trade-off between controllability and stability of spin polarization, awaiting a significant breakthrough. Here, we demonstrate switchable optomagnet effects in (Fe$_{1-x}$Zn$_{x}$)$_{2}$Mo$_{3}$O$_{8}$, from which we can obtain tunable magnetization, spanning from -40$\%$ to 40$\%$ of a saturated magnetization that is created from zero magnetization in the antiferromagnetic state without magnetic fields. It is accomplishable via utilizing circularly-polarized laser pulses to excite spin-flip transitions in polar antiferromagnets that have no spin canting, traditionally hard to control without very strong magnetic fields. The spin controllability in (Fe$_{1-x}$Zn$_{x}$)$_{2}$Mo$_{3}$O$_{8}$ originates from its polar structure that breaks the crystal inversion symmetry, allowing distinct on-site $d$-$d$ transitions for selective spin flip. By chemical doping, we exploit the phase competition between antiferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic states to enhance and stabilize the optomagnet effects, which result in long-lived photoinduced Kerr rotations. The present study, creating switchable giant optomagnet effects in polar antiferromagnets, sketches a new blueprint for the function of antiferromagnetic spintronics.