Ultrafast thermo-optical control of spins in a 2D van der Waals semiconductor.

ABSTRACT: Laser pulses provide one of the fastest means of manipulating electron spins in magnetic compounds and pave the way to ultrafast operation within magnetic recording, quantum computation and spintronics. However, effective management of the heat deposited during optical excitation is an open challenge. Layered two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) materials possess unique thermal properties due to the highly anisotropic nature of their chemical bonding. Here we show how to control the rate of heat flow, and hence the magnetization dynamics, induced by an ultrafast laser pulse within the 2D ferromagnet Cr₂Ge₂Te₆. Using time-resolved beam-scanning magneto-optical Kerr effect microscopy and microscopic spin modelling calculations, we show that by reducing th

SUBMITTER: Da Browski M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11928556 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature