Direct optical probing of ultrafast spin dynamics in a magnetic semiconductor

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel optical measurement technique to directly observe ultrafast spin dynamics in magnetic semiconductors, revealing how spin polarons form and grow, and how temperature affects their behavior.

Contribution

The study develops a new measurement method for direct spin dynamics access and solves the Landau-Liftshitz equation for spin polarons, providing new insights into temperature effects on spin coherence.

Findings

First direct observation of spin dynamics in spin polaron formation

Spin polaron growth slows in the paramagnetic phase at lower temperatures

Monte Carlo simulations confirm the role of Weiss field fluctuations

Abstract

We uncovered for the first time the spin dynamics involved in the birth and growth of giant spin polarons in a magnetic semiconductor. For this purpose, we developed a new measurement technique, which for the first time provides direct access to the spin dynamics, irrespective of phonons and carriers involved in the process. Moreover, we solved for the first time the Landau-Liftshitz equation in the specific scenario of spin polarons, which fits our data excellently, and demonstrates for the first time that the spin polaron growth slows down dramatically when the sample is cooled in the paramagnetic phase. Finally, temperature dependent Monte Carlo simulations were performed, which are in excellent agreement with the observed slowdown, which demonstrates for the first time that fluctuations in the Weiss field play a decisive role in spin coherence generation induced by light in magnetic materials. These results offer a new tool and new insight for spin dynamics investigations.