@misc{MawassAroraSandigetal.2018,
  author    = {Mawass, Mohamad-Assaad and Arora, Ashima and Sandig, Oliver and Luo, Chen and Unal, Ahmet A. and Radu, Florin and Valencia, Sergio and Kronast, Florian},
  title     = {Spatially resolved investigation of all optical magnetization switching in TbFe alloys},
  series = {2018 IEEE International Magnetics Conference (INTERMAG)},
  journal   = {2018 IEEE International Magnetics Conference (INTERMAG)},
  publisher = {IEEE},
  address   = {New York},
  isbn      = {978-1-5386-6425-4},
  doi       = {10.1109/INTMAG.2018.8508211},
  pages     = {1},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {High storage density magnetic devices rely on the precise, reliable and ultrafast switching times of the magnetic states. Optical control of magnetization using femtosecond laser without applying any external magnetic field offers the advantage of switching magnetic states at ultrashort time scales, which has attracted a significant attention. Recently, it has been reported and demonstrated the,so-called, all-optical helicity-dependent switching (AO-HDS) in which a circularly polarized femtosecond laser pulse switches the magnetization of a ferromagnetic thin film as function of laser helicity [1]. Afterward, in more recent studies, it has been reported that AO-HDS is a general phenomenon existing in magnetic materials ranging from rare earth - transition metals ferrimagnetic (e.g. alloys, multilayers and hetero-structures system) to even ferromagnetic thin films. Among numerous studies in the literature which are discussing the microscopic origin of AO-HDS in ferromagnets or ferrimagnetic alloys, the most renowned concepts are momentum transfer via Inverse Faraday Effect (IFE) [1-3]and the concept of preferential thermal demagnetization for one magnetization direction by heating close to Tc (Curie temperature) in the presence of magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) [4-6]. In this study, we investigate all-optical magnetic switching using a stationary femtosecond laser spot (3-5 μm) in TbFe alloys via photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) with a spatial resolution of approximately 30 nm. We spatially characterize the effect of laser heating and local temperature profile created across the laser spot on AO-HDS in TbFe thin films. We find that AO-HDS occurs only in a `ring' shaped region surrounding the thermally demagnetized region formed by the laser spot and the formation of switched domains relies further on thermally induced domain wall motion. Our temperature dependent measurements highlight the importance of attainin...},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{AroraMawassSandigetal.2017,
  author    = {Arora, Ashima and Mawass, Mohamad-Assaad and Sandig, Oliver and Luo, Chen and Uenal, Ahmet A. and Radu, Florin and Valencia, Sergio and Kronast, Florian},
  title     = {Spatially resolved investigation of all optical magnetization switching in TbFe alloys},
  series = {Scientific reports},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {Scientific reports},
  publisher = {Nature Publ. Group},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {2045-2322},
  doi       = {10.1038/s41598-017-09615-1},
  pages     = {9},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Optical control of magnetization using femtosecond laser without applying any external magnetic field offers the advantage of switching magnetic states at ultrashort time scales. Recently, all-optical helicity-dependent switching (AO-HDS) has drawn a significant attention for potential information and data storage device applications. In this work, we employ element and magnetization sensitive photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) to investigate the role of heating in AO-HDS for thin films of the rare-earth transition-metal alloy TbFe. Spatially resolved measurements in a 3-5\&\#8201;\&\#956;m sized stationary laser spot demonstrate that AO-HDS is a local phenomenon in the vicinity of thermal demagnetization in a 'ring' shaped region. The efficiency of AO-HDS further depends on a local temperature profile around the demagnetized region and thermally activated domain wall motion. We also demonstrate that the thickness of the film determines the preferential switching direction for a particular helicity.},
  language  = {en}
}