Ultrafast demagnetization dynamics of 4f antiferromagnets

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Pankratova, Maryna, Borisov, Vladislav, Thonig, Danny, Pathak, Rohit, Windsor, Yoav William, Rettig, Laurenz, Eriksson, Olle, Ernst, Arthur, Bergman, Anders
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Pankratova, Maryna
Borisov, Vladislav
Thonig, Danny
Pathak, Rohit
Windsor, Yoav William
Rettig, Laurenz
Eriksson, Olle
Ernst, Arthur
Bergman, Anders
author_facet Pankratova, Maryna
Borisov, Vladislav
Thonig, Danny
Pathak, Rohit
Windsor, Yoav William
Rettig, Laurenz
Eriksson, Olle
Ernst, Arthur
Bergman, Anders
contents We study the ultrafast demagnetization dynamics of LnRh$_2$Si$_2$ (Ln $=$ Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho) antiferromagnets (AFM) after excitation by a laser pulse, using a combination of density functional theory and atomistic spin and spin-lattice dynamics simulations. First, we calculate the Heisenberg interactions using the magnetic force theorem and compare two approaches, where the $4f$ states of the rare earths are treated as frozen core states or as valence states with added correlation corrections. We find marked quantitative differences in terms of predicted Curie temperature for most of the systems, especially for those with large orbital moment of the rare earth cations. This can be attributed to the importance of indirect interactions of the $4f$ states through the Si states, which depend on the binding energy of the $4f$ states and coexists with RKKY-type interactions mediated by the conduction states. However, qualitatively, both approaches agree in terms of the predicted AFM ordering at low temperatures. In the second step, the atomistic dynamics simulations are combined with a heat-conserving two-temperature model, allowing for the calculation of spin and electronic temperatures during the magnetization dynamics simulations. Despite quite different demagnetization times, magnetization dynamics of all studied LnRh$_2$Si$_2$ AFM exhibit similar two-step behavior, in particular, the first fast drop followed by slower demagnetization. We observe that the demagnetization amplitude depends linearly on laser fluence for low fluences, which is in agreement with experimental observations. We also investigate the impact of lattice dynamics on ultrafast demagnetization using coupled atomistic spin-lattice dynamics simulations and a heat-conserving three-temperature model, which confirm linear dependence of magnetisation on laser fluence.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_10726
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Ultrafast demagnetization dynamics of 4f antiferromagnets
Pankratova, Maryna
Borisov, Vladislav
Thonig, Danny
Pathak, Rohit
Windsor, Yoav William
Rettig, Laurenz
Eriksson, Olle
Ernst, Arthur
Bergman, Anders
Materials Science
We study the ultrafast demagnetization dynamics of LnRh$_2$Si$_2$ (Ln $=$ Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho) antiferromagnets (AFM) after excitation by a laser pulse, using a combination of density functional theory and atomistic spin and spin-lattice dynamics simulations. First, we calculate the Heisenberg interactions using the magnetic force theorem and compare two approaches, where the $4f$ states of the rare earths are treated as frozen core states or as valence states with added correlation corrections. We find marked quantitative differences in terms of predicted Curie temperature for most of the systems, especially for those with large orbital moment of the rare earth cations. This can be attributed to the importance of indirect interactions of the $4f$ states through the Si states, which depend on the binding energy of the $4f$ states and coexists with RKKY-type interactions mediated by the conduction states. However, qualitatively, both approaches agree in terms of the predicted AFM ordering at low temperatures. In the second step, the atomistic dynamics simulations are combined with a heat-conserving two-temperature model, allowing for the calculation of spin and electronic temperatures during the magnetization dynamics simulations. Despite quite different demagnetization times, magnetization dynamics of all studied LnRh$_2$Si$_2$ AFM exhibit similar two-step behavior, in particular, the first fast drop followed by slower demagnetization. We observe that the demagnetization amplitude depends linearly on laser fluence for low fluences, which is in agreement with experimental observations. We also investigate the impact of lattice dynamics on ultrafast demagnetization using coupled atomistic spin-lattice dynamics simulations and a heat-conserving three-temperature model, which confirm linear dependence of magnetisation on laser fluence.
title Ultrafast demagnetization dynamics of 4f antiferromagnets
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.10726