Half-metallic spin dynamics at a singleLaMnO3/SrMnO3interface studied with nonlinear magneto-optical Kerr effect

Abstract

Electronic and magnetic dynamics at a single interface of antiferromagnetic manganites, ${\text{LaMnO}}_{3}/{\text{SrMnO}}_{3}$, were studied with time-resolved second-harmonic generation and time-resolved nonlinear magneto-optical Kerr effect. The temporal evolution of the respective signals shows clear differences; an optical pump makes an instantaneous response of the electrons and, in contrast, induces slow demagnetization, which points to a possibility of two-dimensional half-metallic ferromagnetism for this heterointerface. Detailed analysis with various pump and probe polarizations reveals possible pathways of the optical charge-transfer excitation between $\text{Mn}\text{ }d$ orbitals, leading to a subsequent perturbation to the interface spin system.