2020/11/10 by Sergey Zayko, Ofer Kfir, Michael Heigl +5
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Acoustics #Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications #Dynamics (music) #Harmonic #Laser #Magnetic field #Magnetic properties of thin films #Magnetization #Magnetization dynamics #Magneto-Optical Properties and Applications #Materials science #Optics #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Ultrashort pulse #physics.acc-ph #physics.ins-det #physics.optics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26594-0
14 pages, 4 figures
arxiv created 2020/11/10 · openalex publication_date 2021/11/03 · arxiv updated 2022/01/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
Light-induced magnetization changes, such as all-optical switching, skyrmion nucleation, and intersite spin transfer, unfold on temporal and spatial scales down to femtoseconds and nanometers, respectively. Pump-probe spectroscopy and diffraction studies indicate that spatio-temporal dynamics may drastically affect the non-equilibrium magnetic evolution. Yet, direct real-space magnetic imaging on the relevant timescales has remained challenging. Here, we demonstrate ultrafast high-harmonic nanoscopy employing circularly polarized high-harmonic radiation for real-space imaging of femtosecond magnetization dynamics. We map quenched magnetic domains and localized spin structures in Co/Pd multilayers with a sub-wavelength spatial resolution down to 16 nm, and strobosocopically trace the local magnetization dynamics with 40 fs temporal resolution. Our compact experimental setup demonstrates the highest spatio-temporal resolution of magneto-optical imaging to date. Facilitating ultrafast imaging with high sensitivity to chiral and linear dichroism, we envisage a wide range of applications spanning magnetism, phase transitions, and carrier dynamics.