Spatially resolved ultrafast magnetic dynamics initiated at a complex oxide heterointerface

DOI: 10.1038/nmat4341
PMID: 26147844

Authors: M. Forst (University of Hamburg) , A. Caviglia (Kavli Institute of Nanoscience) , R. Scherwitzl (Department of Quantum Matter Physics) , R. Mankowsky (University of Hamburg) , P. Zubko (University of Geneva) , V. Khanna (Diamond Light Source) , H. Bromberger (University of Hamberg) , S. Wilkins (Brookhaven National Laboratory) , Y. D. Chuang (Advanced Light Source) , W. S. Lee (SLAC) , W. F. Schlotter (SLAC) , J. J. Turner (SLAC) , G. l. Dakovski (SLAC) , M. P Minitti (SLAC) , J. Robinson (SLAC) , S. J. Clarke (University of Oxford) , D. Jaksch (University of Oxford) , J. M. Triscone (Université de Genève) , J. P. Hill (Brookhaven National Laboratory) , S. Dhesi (Diamond Light Source)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Nature Materials , VOL 14 , PAGES 883 - 888

State: Published (Approved)
Published: July 2015
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 7285

Abstract: Static strain in complex oxide heterostructures1, 2 has been extensively used to engineer electronic and magnetic properties at equilibrium3. In the same spirit, deformations of the crystal lattice with light may be used to achieve functional control across heterointerfaces dynamically4. Here, by exciting large-amplitude infrared-active vibrations in a LaAlO3 substrate we induce magnetic order melting in a NdNiO3 film across a heterointerface. Femtosecond resonant soft X-ray diffraction is used to determine the spatiotemporal evolution of the magnetic disordering. We observe a magnetic melt front that propagates from the substrate interface into the film, at a speed that suggests electronically driven motion. Light control and ultrafast phase front propagation at heterointerfaces may lead to new opportunities in optomagnetism, for example by driving domain wall motion to transport information across suitably designed devices.

Subject Areas: Materials, Physics, Information and Communication Technology


Instruments: I06-Nanoscience (XPEEM)

Added On: 09/09/2015 12:10

Discipline Tags:

Surfaces Physics Electronics Components & Micro-systems Information & Communication Technologies Magnetism Materials Science interfaces and thin films

Technical Tags:

Scattering Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering (RSXS)