Spatially selective excitation of spin dynamics in magneto-photonic crystals by spectrally tunable ultrashort laser pulses

Abstract

Abstract In this work, we tackle the problem of the spatially selective optical excitation of spin dynamics in structures with multiple magnetic layers. The 120 fs circularly polarized laser pulses were used to launch magnetization precession in an all-dielectric magneto-photonic crystals (MPC) formed by magnetic layers sandwiched between and inside two magnetic Bragg mirrors. Optical pump-probe experiments reveal magnetization precession triggered via ultrafast inverse Faraday effect with an amplitude strongly dependent on the pump central wavelength: maxima of the amplitude are achieved for the wavelength tuned at the cavity resonance and at the edge of the photonic bandgap. The optical impact on the spins caused by the inverse Faraday effect and spectrum of this effect are found to correlate mostly to the direct Faraday effect. We show that even though the pump laser pulses propagate along the whole structure tuning their wavelength allows localization of a larger spin precession either in the cavity layer or in the Bragg mirror layers selectively. The results pave the way to the ultrafast optical control of magnetization dynamics at a sub-wavelength scale that is vital for modern magneto-photonics and magnonics.