Photo-induced switching of magnetisation in the epsilon-near-zero regime

Abstract

The possibility of controlling spins using ultrashort light and strain pulses has triggered intense discussions about the mechanisms responsible for magnetic re-ordering. All-optical magnetisation switching can be achieved through ultrafast heat-driven demagnetisation or transient modifications of magnetic anisotropy. During the phononic switching of magnetic dielectrics, however, mid-infrared optical excitations can modify the crystal environment via both the thermal quenching of anisotropy and the generation of strain respectively, with the relative distinction between these thermal and non-thermal processes remaining an open question. Here, we examine the effect of mid-infrared pulses tuned to the frequency of optical phonon resonances on the labyrinthine domain structure of a cobalt-doped yttrium iron garnet film. We find that the labyrinthine domains are transformed into stable parallel stripes, and quantitative micromagnetic calculations demonstrate this stems predominantly from a partial quenching of the anisotropy. Contrary to conventional wisdom, however, we find that this heat-facilitated process of magnetisation switching is spectrally strongest not at the maximum of absorbed optical energy but rather at the epsilon-near-zero points. Our results reveal that the epsilon-near-zero condition provides an alternative pathway for laser-driven control of magnetisation, even when the underlying mechanism is primarily thermal.