2016/03/17 by Peter Elliott, P. Elliott, Elliott, P. +9
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Heusler alloys: electronic and magnetic properties #Magnetic properties of thin films #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Other Condensed Matter (cond-mat.other) #Phase-change materials and chalcogenides #cond-mat.mtrl-sci #cond-mat.other
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1603.05603
arxiv created 2016/03/17 · openalex publication_date 2016/03/17 · arxiv updated 2016/03/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
With the goal of pushing Spintronic devices towards faster and faster timescales, we demonstrate, using ab-intio time-dependent density functional theory simulations of bulk Heusler compounds subject to ultrashort intense laser pulses, that the local magnetic moment can increase or decrease in a few femtoseconds. This speed is due to the all optical nature of the process, which transfers spin moment from one sublattice to another. This transfer depends on easily tunable laser parameters. By comparing the spin dynamics of a variety of Heusler (or half-Heusler) compounds, we demonstrate that the density of states explains the observed moment transfer; most the physics of inter sublattice moment transfer is due to the flow of spin current which is governed by availability of states above the Fermi level.