Magnetization precession induced by picosecond acoustic pulses in a freestanding film acting as an acoustic cavity

Abstract

We report the magnetization dynamics excited by picosecond acoustic pulses confined in the acoustic cavity of freestanding nickel films. By detecting both sides of the sample we show that acoustic pulses moving back and forth inside the cavity efficiently control the magnetization precession. The multiple round trips of acoustic pulses, which survive for 12 bounces, enhance the amplitude of the magnetization precession by a factor of 4.5. Even though the conditions of total reflection are met in the freestanding film, the acoustic pulses have a large attenuation as compared to similar Ni films on $\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ substrate, for which we speculate that it is related to a stress induced by the substrate. Our results constitute a guideline for simple designs of acoustic cavities and for achieving a very large amplification of the magnetization precession angle. It is potentially useful for high-frequency magneto-optical modulators.