Sub-15-fs X-ray pump and X-ray probe experiment for the study of ultrafast magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic alloys.

In this paper, we present a new setup for the measurement of element-specific ultrafast magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic thin films with a sub-15-fs time resolution. Our experiment relies on a split and delay approach which allows us to fully exploit the shortest X-rays pulses delivered by X-ray Free Electrons Lasers (close to the attosecond range), in an X-ray pump - X-ray probe geometry. The setup performance is demonstrated by measuring the ultrafast elemental response of Ni and Fe during demagnetization of ferromagnetic Ni and Ni80Fe20 (Permalloy) samples upon resonant excitation at the corresponding absorption edges. The transient demagnetization process is measured in both reflection and transmission geometry using, respectively, the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect (T-MOKE) and the Faraday effect as probing mechanisms.

Frequency-Independent Terahertz Anomalous Hall Effect in DyCo5 , Co32 Fe68 , and Gd27 Fe73 Thin Films from DC to 40 THz.

The anomalous Hall effect (AHE) is a fundamental spintronic charge-to-charge-current conversion phenomenon and closely related to spin-to-charge-current conversion by the spin Hall effect. Future high-speed spintronic devices will crucially rely on such conversion phenomena at terahertz (THz) frequencies. Here, it is revealed that the AHE remains operative from DC up to 40 THz with a flat frequency response in thin films of three technologically relevant magnetic materials: DyCo5 , Co32 Fe68 , and Gd27 Fe73 . The frequency-dependent conductivity-tensor elements σxx and σyx  are measured, and good agreement with DC measurements is found. The experimental findings are fully consistent with ab initio calculations of σyx for CoFe and highlight the role of the large Drude scattering rate (≈100 THz) of metal thin films, which smears out any sharp spectral features of the THz AHE. Finally, it is found that the intrinsic contribution to the THz AHE dominates over the extrinsic mechanisms for the Co32 Fe68 sample. The results imply that the AHE and related effects such as the spin Hall effect are highly promising ingredients of future THz spintronic devices reliably operating from DC to 40 THz and beyond.

Angular Momentum Flow During Ultrafast Demagnetization of a Ferrimagnet.

One of the key processes setting the speed of the ultrafast magnetization phenomena is the angular momentum transfer from and into the spin system. However, the way the angular momentum flows during ultrafast demagnetization and magnetization switching phenomena remains elusive so far. We report on time-resolved soft x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements of the ferrimagnetic GdFeCo alloy allowing us to record the dynamics of elemental spin and orbital moments at the Fe and Gd sites during femtosecond laser-induced demagnetization. We observe a complete transfer of spin and orbital angular momentum to the lattice during the first hundreds of femtoseconds of the demagnetization process.

Dissecting spin-phonon equilibration in ferrimagnetic insulators by ultrafast lattice excitation.

To gain control over magnetic order on ultrafast time scales, a fundamental understanding of the way electron spins interact with the surrounding crystal lattice is required. However, measurement and analysis even of basic collective processes such as spin-phonon equilibration have remained challenging. Here, we directly probe the flow of energy and angular momentum in the model insulating ferrimagnet yttrium iron garnet. After ultrafast resonant lattice excitation, we observe that magnetic order reduces on distinct time scales of 1 ps and 100 ns. Temperature-dependent measurements, a spin-coupling analysis, and simulations show that the two dynamics directly reflect two stages of spin-lattice equilibration. On the 1-ps scale, spins and phonons reach quasi-equilibrium in terms of energy through phonon-induced modulation of the exchange interaction. This mechanism leads to identical demagnetization of the ferrimagnet's two spin sublattices and to a ferrimagnetic state of increased temperature yet unchanged total magnetization. Finally, on the much slower, 100-ns scale, the excess of spin angular momentum is released to the crystal lattice, resulting in full equilibrium. Our findings are relevant for all insulating ferrimagnets and indicate that spin manipulation by phonons, including the spin Seebeck effect, can be extended to antiferromagnets and into the terahertz frequency range.

Generating circularly polarized radiation in the extreme ultraviolet spectral range at the free-electron laser FLASH.

A new device for polarization control at the free electron laser facility FLASH1 at DESY has been commissioned for user operation. The polarizer is based on phase retardation upon reflection off metallic mirrors. Its performance is characterized in three independent measurements and confirms the theoretical predictions of efficient and broadband generation of circularly polarized radiation in the extreme ultraviolet spectral range from 35 eV to 90 eV. The degree of circular polarization reaches up to 90% while maintaining high total transmission values exceeding 30%. The simple design of the device allows straightforward alignment for user operation and rapid switching between left and right circularly polarized radiation.

Analysis of the halo background in femtosecond slicing experiments.

The slicing facility FemtoSpeX at BESSY II offers unique opportunities to study photo-induced dynamics on femtosecond time scales by means of X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, resonant and non-resonant X-ray diffraction, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments in the soft X-ray regime. Besides femtosecond X-ray pulses, slicing sources inherently also produce a so-called `halo' background with a different time structure, polarization and pointing. Here a detailed experimental characterization of the halo radiation is presented, and a method is demonstrated for its correct and unambiguous removal from femtosecond time-resolved data using a special laser triggering scheme as well as analytical models. Examples are given for time-resolved measurements with corresponding halo correction, and errors of the relevant physical quantities caused by either neglecting or by applying a simplified model to describe this background are estimated.

FemtoSpeX: a versatile optical pump-soft X-ray probe facility with 100†fs X-ray pulses of variable polarization.

Here the major upgrades of the femtoslicing facility at BESSY II (Khan et al., 2006) are reviewed, giving a tutorial on how elliptical-polarized ultrashort soft X-ray pulses from electron storage rings are generated at high repetition rates. Employing a 6 kHz femtosecond-laser system consisting of two amplifiers that are seeded by one Ti:Sa oscillator, the total average flux of photons of 100 fs duration (FWHM) has been increased by a factor of 120 to up to 10(6) photons s(-1) (0.1% bandwidth)(-1) on the sample in the range from 250 to 1400 eV. Thanks to a new beamline design, a factor of 20 enhanced flux and improvements of the stability together with the top-up mode of the accelerator have been achieved. The previously unavoidable problem of increased picosecond-background at higher repetition rates, caused by `halo' photons, has also been solved by hopping between different `camshaft' bunches in a dedicated fill pattern (`3+1 camshaft fill') of the storage ring. In addition to an increased X-ray performance at variable (linear and elliptical) polarization, the sample excitation in pump-probe experiments has been considerably extended using an optical parametric amplifier that supports the range from the near-UV to the far-IR regime. Dedicated endstations covering ultrafast magnetism experiments based on time-resolved X-ray circular dichroism have been either upgraded or, in the case of time-resolved resonant soft X-ray diffraction and reflection, newly constructed and adapted to femtoslicing requirements. Experiments at low temperatures down to 6 K and magnetic fields up to 0.5 T are supported. The FemtoSpeX facility is now operated as a 24 h user facility enabling a new class of experiments in ultrafast magnetism and in the field of transient phenomena and phase transitions in solids.